Ensaimadas were eventually brought to the Philippines (known as ensaymadas) by Mallorcan soldiers centuries ago longing for their region's specialty. Mallorcan ensaimadas come in varying sizes and even topped or filled with sweets and savories.
During our two short days, we were able to squeeze in three of the more known ensaimadas stores. Ca'n Joan de S'Aigo is a famous milk bar serving ice creams, horchatas, hot chocolates, and sweets varying from the varieties of ensaimadas to almond cakes. Forn d'es Reco is a cute little bakery that we happen to stumble upon. It's unassuming with plenty of sweets and savories made with love over the generations. Their ensaimada has a unique taste of almonds in the fluffy bites. Forn Fondo is one of the more known bake shops even promoted by Jose Andres. I actually found this to be the least tasty compared to the other two. There are a few more ensaimadas stores I'd love to try out, but we just couldn't handle that much sweetness in the short amount of time - a great excuse for another trip to the island.
To balance the sweetness, there are a number of restaurants and cafes scattered throughout the city, many of which are of varying European cuisines catering to the groups of tourists visiting the island.
In a tiny alley off of Central Palma, La Bodeguilla is a great stop for tapas and wine. They serve dinner choices, but I would stick with the tapas in the wine bar area which has a fun atmosphere. Plus, with tapas you don't get overly stuffed in one restaurant and that allows you to really get a taste of a number of places during the course of one meal.
A town like Palma is all about walking around the city, getting lost, and discovering gems like Forn d'es Reco and La Bodeguilla.
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| Ca'n Joan de S'Aigo |
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| Mallorca's milk bar, dating back to 1700 |
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| Sampling the specialties: Almond milk, hot chocolate, and ensaimadas |
