teaser

Coming soon to Bureboy eats out......

Santo Tomas drama

Santo Tomas is next on up from Son Bou. Down past Es Migjorn Gran and the  horses standing on walls. Now just where are the Caves  de Colomb? Beats most people despite the signs leading to...nowhere. Left hand car park usually a field and a crustie camp. 1 foot drop from ramp to ground, don't think bits of cardboard box will save your sump. Right handcar park often rammo, take your chance or circle fort an hour?

Nice beach, rocks for crabs and a free foot nibbling fish experience but round the rocks too many wrinkly old or young apppendages flapping free.Don't bend over for gawd's sake.

The view from Es Bruc. Not the cheapest beach bar in the world but often a good last day beach experience. Usually have a late start before hitting the sands.

May not look much but this was probably the best food of the trip(even better than Daveed's).

The drama?, well watch it unfold... whats that plane doing?

ah, we see some smoke

looks like a flying boat

and it's 'landing'?

rather close

another pass

up and over..

Two planes involved in fighting a pretty serious forest fire, though not as bad in Majorca which is just on the horizon somewhere under that bank of cloud.

Home boy

The bread based snack has been mentioned already. This does run to the odd evening barbie as well.

 probably the only picture of Titular Head all holiday

This year the daytime bread based snack was occasionally livened up by a coordinated attack on Commander-in-Chief by these vicious beasts, sometimes three-up. They were quite large

Square, square, boys, square

Biggest Bureboy was hankering for a return trip to Bar Paupa all week. It's on the diving quay, down from Redorka Recepcion  just before you head off on to the rocky path to the beach and Los Buccaneros.

Last trip saw Titular head reportedly falling asleep on the steps back to 169, after one Caipirinha.  Our first foray after much cajoling was aborted as no one was there. Our second trip, on new moon night saw the quay awash with many revellers and a sullen sulk home. Thinking on his feet this time Titular Head  made the fateful call up the path to a seemingly empty, despondent terrace..

" Square, square, boys, square"

The square in question is twixt Grumpy's shop, Na Rosa ( a cheese and sherry joint), and Pedro's. Oh, and an amazing bakery-cum-coffee shop (where Commander in Chief buys floury things for breakfast) that also does cocktails at night.

Will on the Pomada. Fanta Limon and Menorcan gin. Cheese and sherry joint in background.

@Walshamboy larging it.

A very nice Mohito..not much different from a Caipirinha but very nice, minty and sweet.

Wordsmith (@Bain3z taking a spell as lensman (Check him at http://crackmagazine.net/music/bilbao-bbk-live/).

Strawberry Daiquiri? Don't.

Two rounds, 24 Euro and seemingly no interest in collecting same, and even surprise when honest injun went to cough up, unlike the scrotes at Arenal de Castell who thought they could make a staggered departure to avoid la cuenta. Gotcha.

Turtle beach

Tortoise beach actually. Es Canutells, not Ses Tanques, on the road from Pepperpot Town to San Climente, once home of the Jazz Club and nearby Cricket Club. Apparently .Why tortoise beach? Up in that scrub are wild tortoises. Sometimes on the road as well.

Just why would you stay in your hotel complex when you have this down the hill? It's not even the lung busting , varicose vein popping hill down (or back up)  to Cala n Porter beach.

It's a long cove and a fishing/boating harbour with a walkway.

Where you can fish and crab

or pose meaningfully on a rock..

Food. Not beach bar prices but nice, honest Menorcan food, you can chose the fish you want cooked or have this very tasty calves liver.

Not just tortoise in the bushes and scrub.

Go. It really is a lovely place.

Carmen burana

Cue Orf's swelling majestical Carmina burina, pub door opens, surfer sweeps in on a wave. "Phew, pint of aftershave  please mate." Barman wipes glass with towel, "Straight glass or a mug sir?" If you are too young to remember it must be on You Tube somewhere.

Well. That's not quite the experience you'll get at Carmen's in Cala Torret. It is the establishment that's stood the test of time and the headman still  survives. It looks like just him and a mustachioed old 'un  in front of house, behind bar and waiting on table now. The wonder of Google  reveals his name. Manelo. And it's for sale?

Memories. Carmen's was the possible when D&P's shut one night a week. It was the place you went to break a paper Pesata note into coin for the Chuppa dispenser he had on his entrance to the bar (he knew you'd been to D&P's). Watching him beseech the gods for trade when he was empty and everyone trooped past to El Faro's. Grilled whole Conejeo, skinned and with eyes still in the skull. @bain3z being served an Voll Damm doble malta on  a solo foray. Yes Grandpa, we did replace them all this time round! 7.2% abv. Smooth. Nice. Jazz.

This year his menu del dia included a bottle of wine (not a copa), Alioli on bread  in your 16Euro. So we went. Twice. The alioli was good. But on bread. Dry bread. Not toasted or anything. At least it was not Bimbo . And we were next to El Faro, always the alioli king. Ask Uncle Jack about Andreas' start up days at the poolside concession  up the road. Is the parrot still the same old "correacos"?

Anyway, back to Carmen's. Nice plates, and v. tasty sardinas

Another nice plate. Very good entrecote

Tom got rinsed for not finishing his mains. No ice cream for you! No complaints either visit.

Villa Carlos. Es Castell. Cales Fonts or even Georgetown

Cales Fonts is a delight. Known to us variously by all the names in the title, for lots of reasons.  Our early forays  were always from the main square in Es Castell, now there is a car park and subway further up the road.

Morning walk and drink, or fishing with the boys

By night the outcome is always the same. Walk about a bit, look at the tapas bars. Groucho's crepes. Club Maratimo. Dinkums, Irenes. And end up in the same old green  pizza place. Great for people watching. But eating? Can't even remember what we had it was that poor. Should have gone to El Chavitos boys.

But what night time scenes.

The year of the large cokes

 @Northwalshamboy tweeted on return, "Year of the large cokes". It has been lovely seeing the Bureboy tribe graduating up through the  ordering rankings. @'bain3z  getting gloriously chocolatey in Es Grau. The first menu del nino. Punkies or a chuppa and toy from the dispenser in Carmens. Polo Fresa  at Los Buccaneros, . (shh Grandpa's Magnums from the freezer) later walking to Grumpys to get ice cream for pud. Of course Copa de Venus or "Pudding". Never panacotta.

Ham and cheese toasties, chicken noogets and escalopes(Will) and of course entrecote, always with the pepper sauce. (@HenryBaines) or one year cubanos (timbale of rice with a tomato sauce for @Northwalshamboy

Drinkage. Coke has been the holiday fave, small of course, and strangely " a large bottle of water please".
I have always been vaguely amused by being charged the same for a cana (200-250ml) of soft drink or beer.between 1.25-2.50 Euro drinking at table. A jarra (400-500mil) from 2.50-3.50 Euro, more when at eating. Some times an actual  "pinta".

Now this is the stuff...

Add to embarrassing ordering technique, no attempt at Spanish from Commander-in Chief to ordering cheese in Spanish and getting cheesecake  (Titular Head) the dreaded phrase "big boys cokes".

Not this year, confident large coke or large beer all round...

Cafe drinks mostly fanta limon/cokes (or schweppes here), and agua con gas/cafe con leche for me.

Magners (bottle) or Strongbow(can) big at the mo, but at a big price. Much better this sort of stuff.

Magic Mahon

We will begin, and return in later posts to a theme of walking about a lot, looking and plumping for the same place again cos that is what we do.
So, an evening out in Mahon, or as the signeage will now have it Mao  means walking along the harbour (never up in the town itself), and this year using the brand new lift. No more dodging dog and crustie poo and squashed figs down the long ramp leading out by the floating restaurant.  Some very impressive gin palaces in the harbour, Some never seem to leave, like 2J's. Some have gone, like Jimmys. Some like El Moldi are rusting trawler hulks  clocking up massive mooring fees and now moved off to the other side of the harbour.

Some are super yachts, of Roman Abramovich proportions..(.this is Givi, and is for charter. I don't know how much for.  A lot.) Taken from the lift on it's descent. It did make some of the bigger boats in look small. And envious

It's reputedly  the second deepest natural harbour in the world, certainly  big enough for ferries and cruise ships.

Oh look, the yellow catamaran glass bottom boat. Somewhat dwarfed.

Apart from a sad experiment at Nashville once we always, always eat at  Pierro. Not 222 or Dos, Dos, Dos, which is next door. Both employ legions of greeters trying to entice you to eat. Dont. It's annoying. Even if it is Lily Allen or Rodent Girl. More of whom later.  No pretence of looking this time, straight there. Now,once I had a chicken dish off Menu del dia that was heavenly. This time we had to ferret out the  menu del dia and menu Menorquin which were  grudgingly provided. This was before menu del dia curfew of 9pm.

No Lilly Allen waitress and Rodent Girl was way over the other side.Will don't even care mate, but @bain3z is disonsolate and folorn. About no Lilly Allen. Weak smile. Titular Head is taken with Rodent Girl which is somewhat sad for a fat old man..

Food? My fish stew was very nice and the water came in a nice powder blue bottle..

.

That was probably the highlight of the night, apart from the view.

And the traditional ice cream  a bit further down the promenade, and the drive back along the harbour, past the rocket (power station) and back up the hill, to The Final Countdown.. Look at that plume of exhaust from the chimnney adding to the glow of the setting sun

Pirate Petes,. or Daveed's. Cala Torret. Gastro yes

The front at Cala Torret has, over the years been base camp for the Bureboy tribe. Sited over some lock ups, and what was purported to have been, in plans anyway a nightclub. Some one didn't research Menorca tourist demographics there then.

Looking over to Costa bomb and Sito's. Here is where  many a lolly (either gratis from D&P or from Carmen's dispensing machine ) has been devoured, before the trip back up the magic stairs ..

The terrace has been home (always) to D&P'S, Carmen and in varying guises El Faro. In between D&P's  and Carmens was either empty, or for a while Baloo's. Roid rage waiter flitted between Baloo's and El Faro's. Irene did a "famous" curry. Apparently. Didn't appear to have a returnee trade, or appeal to the Spanish tourists.

A little while back the empty space was populated by a large rum style barrel, some fancy "authentic" pirate maps and a waiter with an earring, bandana and a little note book of dishes to compliment the specials menu boards, brought to the table by said piratical waiter. English by accent and appearance but not particularly fluent in it? Interesting.

Taberna de Corso had  arrived, or as it is known "Daveeds". I presume Daveed is the chef//and maitre de resplendent in shorts and crocs under his whites With socks. He seems to have replaced Pirate Pete out front of house this year. Tapas, and bloody well presented tapas at that. Majors in speciality gins.That's Freeman territory. The complimentary amuse bouche is interesting. Watch the newbies  approach the shot glasses, sip or chug and work out just what it the glass contains, and why? Watermelon gazpacho we deduced. Acquired taste and texture.

The deal is, lots of tapas or raciones, served with some flair and tasting as good as it looks. Comes in regular intervals, and varied enough to hold most interests. Not for those who like a traditional mains approach.

Don't let tough crowd and sophisticate @bain3z put you off. Gamba's with top notch soy dipping sauce, sweet red peppers stuffed with cod. Divine.  So good look at it again...

and at this creation. Something in tempura. But something very nice.

You will have deduced by the early evening sun glinting of Baines 5's glasses that we dined a little earlier this year.So early in fact us and another party arrived, at booked time (past advertised opening) and the tables still had the chairs on them,. Much bustling and moving of specials boards, and flapping of little notebook menu prompt. You will also spot that  (no one knows his facebook or twitterr or whatever username) so we will call him Will is a bit despondent about his beer. Now, the Taberna is one of the best priced outlets for beer. A jarra, or about 400-500ml Amerril is a very reasonable 2.75 Euro. Ordering a large beer had become an everyday experience for Will. He got a small beer. Waitress did not know the difference between tuna carpaccio and sea bass menorcan style. We have already seen @bain3z seemingly recalling the dreadful panacotta moment at Villa Madrid.

Very nice eats but learn something. Service is all. Most expensive meal of the trip but disappoint on service and the tip is just that. Get it right and they'll come back. Don't and they probably won't. Apart from the lure of the cod stuffed sweet red peppers and a wish that I'd ordered the pescaditos fritos A damn great whacking raciones worth of them. Gets a lot of Spanish trade  which can only be good. Must be the vegetables. Not not tinned, bottled or ratatouille

Good people watching: the large party (who is married to who, are you sure? Shouldn't we know two of the women, they look very off the TV to me?Thai bride who wasn't. Kids home from boarding school?
What the hell did they make of us?

 By the way, don't go out as a family and spend the whole time, adults especially tapping a tablet (apps my arse), scrolling on a smart phone or playing a hand held. Talk, bicker or sulk. Leave the gadgets at home. Except for the camera of course!