Voro, Andalusian joy in Mallorca

It was 1977 when the first Michelin star illuminated the Balearic Islands under the leadership of Gérard Tétard, at Ses Rotges, Cala Rajada. Almost 50 years later, and in a radically different Mallorca, the first two stars of this archipelago have been shining since 2021 at Voro, the project of Álvaro Salazar and his team.

Located in one of the villas of the Hotel Cap Vermell (5* GL), and overlooking Canyamel at sunset, Voro's dining room is imposing: a high barn-style ceiling and wooden and tiled floors frame two spacious areas that accommodate ten elegant tables with draped tablecloths, all facing a splendid open kitchen. The welcome, extended by manager Rodolfo Antonelli, is warm and inviting. At the table, the menu concept, a guided journey from dawn to dusk, is explained in an envelope, which contains the explanations for each course, illustrated with illustrations summarizing the technical details. This envelope serves as a physical souvenir of the dinner and the menu itself.

Born in Jaén and raised in Córdoba, Álvaro honed his skills with one of Andalusia's most renowned chefs (Benito Gómez of Bardal), furthered his training in northern Spain with Francis Paniego at Echaurren, and completed his experience abroad. After culinary adventures and setbacks that revealed the island's more challenging side, he arrived in Mallorca and, at the age of 32, earned his first Michelin star in 2017 at Argos, the restaurant he opened with his right-hand woman, fellow Andalusian María Cano, in Pollença in 2016. He now boasts two stars at Voro.

The menu begins by showcasing local produce in two courses of ramallet tomato (a juicy and sweet Mallorcan variety), one of which is a miniature version of a perfectly complete dish. Through spheres, soup, sauce, ice cream, and caramel, it transcends the snack label. Then comes the first appearance of the winery: two wines (Terre de Marne and Terre de Silex, from Clément and Florian Berthier) which sommelier Carles Rosselló illustrates with stones from their vineyards to explain the influence of terroir on two identical wines.

With Gonzalo Tramullas at the helm, four more dishes have arrived, this time focused on fish, tuna, sardine, crab, and scorpionfish, that transcend the word "snack" even though they are eaten with your hands. Another aspect that sets them apart from typical snack offerings is the minimal amount of sugar, which is often a technical requirement in neutral candies, crunchy treats, or meringues. The occasional sweetness here is justified, as in the slice of pepper on the sardine, where the sweetness enhances the ingredient.

After just 6 courses and two wines, it is already clear that Voro is an enclave of culinary expertise and technical virtuosity, served with the close elegance of an exquisite dining room and enhanced with passion and skill by the sommelier team.

The first part of the menu ends with four more miniatures, this time focused on meat: the duckling, where the measured and meaningful sweetness returns; the wagyu, a tasty sirloin tartare on a crispy tendon base; the pharaoh, an elegant piece of jewelry based on pickled partridge; and the ibérico, the finest and most technically skilled fritter I have ever tasted, in which the crispy dough has the minimum thickness necessary to envelop the stew it contains, which is mellow, intense, and powerful.

The tasting menu begins with one of his signature dishes (2021), almond and caviar. By pairing the caviar with a Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs, a creamy and elegant champagne with a light buttery aroma, Carles describes this dish as “a course in which caviars are served: the almond, caviar from Mallorca; the oil, caviar from Jaén; the pea, caviar from Maresme; and the caviar.”

The menu continues with what could be considered a classic (2015): the vinegared seafood salad with palo cortado sherry. Prawns with their roe, raw cuttlefish, and perfectly cooked cockles. Juiciness, flavor, and the most Andalusian character, rounded out with the aroma of that jewel of Jerez wines and with the most theatrical element of the dining room: nitro olive oil rocks.

From here, Andalusian exuberance takes center stage, allowing and encouraging one of the cornerstones of Mediterranean culinary enjoyment: dipping bread in the sauce. Thus begins what is proposed as a bread pairing, showcasing the bread carefully selected and kneaded for each specific course. The first, made of kamut, envelops a miniature of broken eggs that accompanies the lobster with gazpachuelo made from its head; for the succulent and firm John Dory, enveloped in the richness of pil-pil and demi-glace, a moist and firm crumb is chosen to pair, like an exceptional and rare wine, the Vinyes Velles Son Negre 2022, a red wine with lavender aromas that complements both fish courses.

The seafood course ends, and the dipping of bread into the ravioli continues: a surf and turf dish of white prawns and Iberian pork, with a sauce so rich it practically demands a change to crystal bread, light and with a crispy crust. Next up is an ensaimada with pork and duck fat, accompanying a duck stew with hearty, comforting flavors, perfectly rounded off with a flawless 2015 Malus Mama, a pairing as daring as it is precise. The meat course concludes with a marinated veal dish, served with malted bread and dried apricots that temper the acidity and spices, offering a toasted aroma and a touch of sweetness.

The transition to sweetness begins with the pomada. This initial dessert starts with a Menorcan blend, fresh, light, and with a touch of alcohol that cleanses the palate, preparing the body and mind for the rest of the desserts. A Delicado de Ximenez-Spínola, the wine in which to play at finding any fruit, according to sommelier Sofia Graziani, accompanies the pink, or floral, dessert, delicate and innocent. The menu concludes with identity and feeling, where two desserts from post-war Spain, marked by scarcity, gachas and torrijas, are refined with technique and presented with exclusivity to reclaim what they are: gastronomy in its purest form, a tribute to their aunt Luisa.

The inevitable sunset arrives with the petit fours - featuring more miniature techniques in 8 aesthetic, precise and tempting bites - and the wine cellar gives way to a menu of infusions and teas of its own blend and microlot coffees presented by Tomeu Porcel and treated with the same respect given to the rest of the drinks in the restaurant.

As Sabina would say, there are plenty of reasons to travel to Mallorca, and once there, the journey to Voro is quick and the reward delightful. A must for any food lover.

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Address: Urbanization Atalaya de Canyamel, Vial A 2 Canyamel, Capdepera.