Here are a few restaurant-related excerpts from my 2010 Ibiza review
http://www.spotlight-forums.com/showthread.php?t=68737
Not exactly in the format at the start of this thread, but hopefully still useful to someone.
Fish Shack (Talamanca) – For dinner, we drove over to Talamanca to find the infamous Fish Shack. The name really fits the place – it is truly a small shack with tables outside! It's right on the water, about 100 meters away from the better-known (and better signposted) restaurant Sa Punta. We knew we were on to something when we saw Smokin' Jo hanging out there, and we were right. 8) The premise is simple – the waiter rails off a list of 5-6 types of fish that they've got today (plus steak and lamb chops) and you choose one. Each comes with green salad and potato salad. This place gets the simple things right – a tasty, well-prepared piece of very fresh fish. Simple and delicious. With several beers, wines and coffee, a good value at 51 euros.
Brisa de la Mar (Cala Pada) – We decided to go out for a late lunch and drove to Cala Pada on the East coast, just a little bit north of Santa Eulalia. For starters, we shared a huge portion of fish soup that was more than enough for two. The missus had the mussels marinara and I went for the monkfish in clam and shrimp sauce. Very fresh ingredients but both the soup and my fish left you with the feeling that something was missing… maybe some more garlic or salt or something. Too bland.
In any case, an unfortunate salt shaker incident rendered half of my dish inedible.
Not expensive though and Cala Pada is a nice setting. 50 euros including a couple of beers.
Bella Napoli (Playa den Bossa) – Just a quick word about this place. Obviously, its main draw is that it's in PdB near the hotels, bars and basically across the street from Space, but I was pleasantly surprised with our meal. Four of us shared some pizza, arugula salads and carpaccio and not a single complaint. Everything was fresh and tasty. Good choice for an inexpensive meal nearby if you're staying in PdB or on your way to…
Sa Cornucopia (Sta Gertrudis) – Wow. What a great restaurant. It's set in a finca-style building with a lovely outdoor terrace on a quiet side street. Mediterranean cuisine, with about a quarter of their dishes vegetarian. Instead of aioli, they served up a lovely spiced olive paste with their bread. I had a goat cheese salad to start, sharing some of it with the missus, followed by a bowl of couscous served with a separate bowl of lamb, lamb sausage and veggies in a flavorful stew. Irina went with the duck breast in a sweet wine sauce. Epic portions at this place! We could barely finish our food… but we couldn't help but eat it all (at the expense of mobility for the next couple of hours! Seriously… epic portions!) Our bill came to 84 euros, half of which was drinks (wine, beer, coffee, hierbas). Recommended!
Ancient People (Ibiza Town) – One of the best curries on the island and one of the best values for eating out as well. They have a great lunch deal in which you get a choice from among 4 appetizers plus a selection of curries for just EUR 9.50, including rice. I went for the saag chicken & samosas while Irina ordered samosas and lamb vindaloo plus some lentil soup from menu. I'll admit that we didn't find it quite as delicious as our first visit last year (her lamb was a little tough), although the service has improved. But at 30 euros with several glasses of beer and wine, it's still a good choice. Plus, they were playing Nina Simone as background music. ‘Nuff said.
La Masia d'en Sort (Ibiza -San Miguel Road, 1km after turn off from Ibiza-Santa Eularia Rd) – After missing out on dinner in Formentera, we decided to check another choice off my list of restaurant ideas and selected Masia d'en Sort, one of Ibiza's Michelin-starred restaurants. They pride themselves on quality food at fair prices, and they do not disappoint. They also had some of the best service we'd seen anywhere on the island. The setting itself is worth a Michelin star – they've got a huge walled garden out back with tables spaced well far apart and lots of fruit trees and vines of various sorts – oranges, lemons, grapes, etc. Starters are around 10 euros and mains around 20, all with good-sized portions. Irina had a green salad with warm shrimp, scallops and broccoli with vinaigrette accented with soy & honey, while I started with the fish soup. Both were fabulous – I especially loved the thick hearty broth in my soup. For our main courses, she had the wild turbot and I had lamb loin stuffed with bacon and foie gras in a rosemary-infused gravy, both arriving with a small side of grilled veggies and potato au gratin. Irina asked for some lemon for her fish, and the maitre d walked over to a tree, picked one, wiped it down, and cut it in half for her. We were well impressed! 108 euros including aperitifs, a bottle of wine, beers and coffee. And the best, most garlicky aioli we tried anywhere. Recommended!
El Rincon de Pepe (San Antonio) – This tapas restaurant has gotten a few mentions in the forums over the years so we decided to finally check it out. You wouldn't expect to find a good place to eat nestled amongst the bars and tacky shops of the West End but do not fear, for here you will enjoy some solid (if not spectacular) tapas at a very fair price. We loaded up – fried octopus with potato, marinated peppers, lamb shish kebab, steamed mussels with pico de gallo, and meatballs. Of them, only the lamb was disappointing. Be sure to check the blackboard on the wall too as we didn't notice until after that there were some additional choices to those on the menu. Good value. Forgot to make a note of our total but it was in the range of 30 euros.
Restaurant Cala Mastella (a.k.a. El Bigotes) – Some of you might know the story. The King of Spain was allegedly once turned away from this place for not having a reservation. You have to come a day or more in advance and leave a 20 euro deposit for your table. There is one seating per day – at 2pm. They have no phone, so there is no use trying to call and beg for a seat. Every table is full (we were lucky they let us squeeze 7 into our table for 5). There is no menu because everyone is eating the same thing. In the back of the room is one big pot, and in that pot these masters cook some Ibizan-style fish stew (bullit de peix.. actually, probable more of a guisado de pescado) with potatoes, saffron, and the fresh catch of the day. Absolutely delicious. Legend is, the proprietor goes out to catch the fish himself each morning. If you want seconds, don't worry – they distribute everything that's left in the pot after each table finishes its first platter. Then they make you a 2nd course of rice simmered in the leftover broth from the first course. Lovely. This was probably the most fun meal we had the whole trip – the setting, the company (an American and a Russian dining with a Brit, his Czech wife, an Ibiceno, a Spaniard and an Irishman… must be a joke in there somewhere. We certainly laughed the whole time!), the food. Just a great afternoon… and despite having eaten my weight in food, I could have had more. And the best part – with 3 bottles of rose, 12 beers, a couple of bottles of water, and a lovely coffee with liquor (cooked in a big pot on the same fire as the food pot) for everyone – it worked out to 35 euros each with tip. Recommended!!
Restaurant Es Torrent (Es Torrent) – On the way back, we stopped off at Es Torrent for dinner. We'd had this place recommended to us often, including by locals, so we had had high hopes. We'd been to this beach before a couple of times but had only had their sangria. We decided it was time for our annual paella, but started off with some marinated tuna (delicious) and Gallician-style octopus (too much sea salt). We chose the blind paella, where they remove most of the shells & bones and such from the seafood. The paella was OK, but not the best we've had (still dreaming of La Brasa in Ibiza Town). The place isn't cheap either – 128 euros total, 28 of which was for the pitcher of white whine sangria.
Blue Marlin (Cala Jondal) – Blue Marlin is probably better known for its occasional parties than for its food but it's a nice place for a meal with a beautiful setting. Irina started with the spicy seviche while I settled on the tuna Caesar salad. Both delicious. I like the fact that they didn't over load the Caesar in sauce as some places do. Irina had a delicious tuna steak as her main while my tagliatele with shrimp was tasty although perhaps could have used more flavor. Overall, very pleased with our meal, despite leaving 138 euros (35 of which was one pitcher of sangria). You pay for the ambience and the coolness of the place, and for the DJ spinning some very nice afternoon house tunes.