I went to
Cami de Balafia on Tuesday following
@stivi's suggestion and my own longing to eat lamb. Phoned them in the afternoon without much hope for a reservation, but got offered a table at 10pm on the same day.
The restaurant is in a lovely garden setting under trees with a no-nonsense menu focused on meat. Prices were very reasonable too. The drink selection was huge, but since I was driving, I stayed with Coke Zero and only allowed myself some hierbas at the end.
I chose bread, aioli and olives, then their famous tomato salad, then lamb chops with potato chips.
Olives were homemade, tasted very much like olives my parents made back when they were living in a rural house in Provence. Aioli was homemade too and quite hot, with more garlic than usual.
Then came the tomato salad. It was phenomenal. The tomatoes themselves weren't outstanding in any way, but the three components (tomatoes, onions, olive oil) matched perfectly, and this did the magic.
While consuming the appetizers, I was watching the large grill in action. Large bowls of raw meat were brought to the grill again and again, the meat put above hot coals, turned, moved around, then put onto plates and brought to hungry customers for consumption. New coals were being produced from firewood right here in a separate compartment. As six lamb chops from the grill were being put onto a plate, I knew it was my turn. And God were they awesome!
Juicy, flavorful, with a rich lamb taste and a hint of smoke. If I had to imagine a perfect lamb dish, it would be these lamb chops. Potato chips as side dish were great too, they actually tasted like potatoes and were obviously made on the spot and were not the deep frozen cr*p many places serve nowadays.
Since I had skipped lunch, I still had room for dessert despite the very generous servings. I chose the homemade flan, and it was a perfect conclusion for this outstanding meal, which became
the highlight of this Ibiza trip. Being a spoiled child, I usually always find some points of criticism when it comes to cooking. But here, I literally loved every bite. The bill came at a very reasonable 46€. Credit cards were not accepted, only cash, but I knew it in advance.
Didn't like: the lock on the men's toilet door was broken, which caused some privacy issues. And from the look of it, it has been broken for quite some time
Vegetarians should run away from this place as fast as they can (unless they love potato chips). To anyone else, I absolutely recommend Cami de Balafia and will certainly try their T-bone the next time I am on the island.