Food, like many things goes through fads and fashions – haute cuisine, nouvelle cuisine – but there are a few dishes that are timeless and never go out of fashion.
Unlike our European cousins, namely the French, Italians and Spanish, us Brits aren’t well known for our high level of food sophistication however 1 dish seems to always stand the tests of time (and I ain’t taking about fish and chips!).
The traditional Sunday roast conjures up a thousand memories, growing up it’s what Sundays are made of. Mine are of my Mum slaving over a hot stove preparing the full works only for me and my brother to moan and my Dad in his element savouring every mouthful before falling asleep in his armchair with a Sunday movie playing in the background. Like many things, roast dinners are wasted on the young, it takes a few years of maturity to fully grasp how delicious they are but get there I did.
Therefore it pleases me to report that the traditional Sunday roast is the new Ibiza winter ‘battleground’ for a local hospitality industry looking to capitalise on a growing captive market.
Charlie Chester, that wily old dog, caught the scent early and last winter his Wow Sundays became very popular as it mixed food with Jo Mills’ fun Escucha brand and it became an all day Sunday party for island people.. This winter he’s transferred the same concept to The Standard in Ibiza Town and if there’s a better placed venue on the island then I don’t know where it is. It’s early days but by all accounts it’s been another rip roaring success.
During the summer Pikes, the famous rock n roll hotel, offered a superb Sunday roast and as afternoon became evening and then night the party stayed right there fuelled by its delicious food. Relish in San Antonio Bay does an excellent roast in the summer and also a bloody mean Bloody Mary, ideal bedfellows and comfort food after an excessive Saturday night. Even Cafe Mambo started offering it towards the end of summer!
This winter Taberna Cebo continues to offer the Sunday roast experience courtesy of their experienced British chef Spike. Big portions of steaming hot veg and a choice of meats in a lively local surrounding is a winner and usually sells out every week. Vitamin Sea down the road from Cebo also offers high quality weekend food and Project Social in Santa Eulalia is always good fayre and their Sunday roast is no different garnering great reviews.
Can Mimosa in Santa Gertrudis comes highly recommended as does Roto in Ibiza Town and now Smoke in Cala Llonga (from the same owners of Shanti) have added to the growing list of Sunday roast lunch providers with a tasty menu that promises to be very popular.
I’m sure there’s plenty more out there and it’s good news for your Sunday lunch options for when a paella doesn’t quite tick the boxes but a full traditional roast does. It signals the way Ibiza is going with a growing and more discerning expat population looking for quality family fayre in the winter and personally I’m all in!
MAN IN SAN AN by Martin Makepeace 