REVIEW: Restaurant Stay

[Trout]

After all we had read in many sources we were surprised that after ten years of traveling to this part of the world we had not eaten at Stay. So an evening when the rains came after four months of drought we decided a sheltered meal would not go amiss.

The good stuff is that the restaurant is modern and very well appointed. It is large with a large staff and an even larger menu. It was also welcomingly warm on a cool evening.

The selection on the menu was excellent and wide ranging, all very promising.

Service was efficient although it did not feel personal - we were served by three or four different staff even before we had ordered.

Finally we made our selections with the order being taken by what we assume was the owner as he was the only one not wearing any form of uniform (bad shirt and Dockers!): -

Foie gras with a Farmhouse egg and patatas fritas followed by Hake with a Saffron sauce

Prawn taglietelle followed by Three Fillets of White Fish.

The amuse was brought, although no-one described what it was - it was a soft cheese with parmesan served with a tiny cherry tomato and bite sized Melba toasts. Promising.

The fois gras starter was interesting but poor. The foie was overcooked and the egg had so much salt on it as to be inedible. A certain amount of salt may be a chef's deliberate seasoning - this was clearly too much. The patatas were greasy. The tagliatelle was a little better, albeit a large portion for a starter.

Unfortunately as we ate our starter we got no attention otherwise the egg would have been going back.

The main courses arrived which were a serious disappointment. The fish was served with a pile of commercial easy-cook rice (OK - I am a rice snob but good rice is so delicious and bad rice is only good for glue). To make it worse the rice was coloured with a large number of tiny pieces of carrot. In both cases the fish sat on top of a medley of soft vegetables including more carrot.

It may just be us, but never serve carrot with fish - they just don't go.

To make matters worse - my partner's three fillets were coated in exactly the same sauce as her starter (saffron and dill for reference). Very poor - whoever took the order should have given some guidance here. Appalling quality of service in a restaurant of these pretensions. Also the fish was laced with bones both small and large. Again very poor for a restaurant specialising in fish.

My hake was adequate and would have been appropriately priced at about 40% of what was charged. The saffron sauce was the same base as my partner's, without the dill. Do they only have one saucepan they all share?!

We ate up and left. At least the bottle carrier we got to take out half drunk wine with us was high quality.

So overall a great location, efficient but not effective service, a wide choice on the menu but please take care to pick carefully. This is one of the most expensive restaurants in the area and was very popular. The food is someway behind the location and reputation. You can eat MUCH better fish at many of the small, local Mallorquin restaurants dotted over the island.

Given the price I could not give this restaurant (based on the food which is why we go to restaurants) more than a 4/10. I guess 40% of the price is based on the location, staff and building. Take that away and you maybe get a 7/10.

 

[Smiddy]

Stay

Trout, Very impressive review! Wish i could write them like that

 

[Alcanada]

Great review Trout. Stay is one of my favorites and I have never had a bad experience there - but I know plenty of people who don't like it. Like most places that are at the upper end of the price scale it has always been the subject of mixed opinions. For my part I will always support a restaurant until it lets me down and then wild horses couldn't drag me back!

 

[Trout]

Thanks for your comments. I am not sure I entirely agree that restaurants at the upper end of the price scale are always the subject of mixed opinions. Many of my favourites are right up there on price and are very rarely badly reviewed.

My comments on price here relate to expectation. If you are going to charge £15 for a starter it had better be cooked well - and it wasn't. If you are going to charge £20 or more for fish and rice, the fish should be cooked well and the rice top quality - it wasn't. And the fish fillets should not be laced with bones.

It was the food that let me down - the service was modern and efficient, the location fantastic. And allowing my partner to order two courses with exactly the same sauce is terrible at this level - either the server did not know the menu - or even worse, care.

 

[Belladonna]

We love this restaurant for an outside lunch which lasts ages, but having tried it twice for an evening meal, Im afraid we tend to give it a miss. But many people like it so it caters for us all somehow!

 

[liz d]

It has to be The menu del dia if i go to stay. I agree that you can get better quality food and cooking in PP, but the menu del dia represents very good value for alot of courses and a full evening out. It is a lovely location and the service and decor is pretty cool. A special night with all the trimmings for a set price. Don't think it would be somewhere i would go a la carte.

(2 x cava, 2 x bread, olive oil, 2 x amuse, 2 x starters, 2 x main,2 x desert,2 x coffee and home made chocs, 2 x brandy 70 euro).

 

[debz1]

I agree with you Liz that the MDD at Stay is amazing value at 32 euros for both the quality of food and the amount of courses...plus you forgot to say that it includes half a bottle of wine in the price They always give liquors on the house..whatever you want not schnapps... so if you dont have an aperitif you will pay no more than the set price!

Best value and food, and certainly best location in the port IMO

 

[BonysLad]

Trout,

First of all wellcome to the Forum, and hope you will write many more of your experiences.

Secondly, like many of the subsequent posters, we are aficionados of Stay, but think your post was very objective , if not a little harsh in your rankings.

Probably gonna got strung up for heresy now, cos we visit Stay most weeks but if I'm being totally honest don't just go for the food. Maybe strange comment if you are reviewing restaurants but have come to that conclusion.

The Business Model that Stay operates is first class, but , and you may have just punctured the myth , that to just go for the food , is just to taste a part, although very important of the full "deal".

Stay has a wonderful location and to eat ( unfortunately as you had to) inside was a bit of a disappointment. Can honestly say though I've yet to come to a more professionally run establishment. Service, in my opinion , is absolutely impeccable ( efficient without being obsequeious ).

Lets, turn to the food. They are basically a "mass catering " establishment and as such, provide good quality but in quantity. They do not cook individual plates of food per se and even if you do go "a la carte" ( as I suspect you did ) they do the main ingredient. When you ordered your fish did they describe the accompanying veg ???. Suspect that the carrots were accompanying the meal of the day.

As far as being expensive , it's unfortunately another myth, in my opinion.
The meal of the day is exceptional value ( as Debs says ) at around 32 Euros including wine, coffee and always a complimentary liquer. I cannot tell you how many times my wife and I have just popped out elsewhere for a cheap meal in many places. We always have the same conversation on the way home.
" Could have gone to Stay , for that !!!! ".

Rarely go there just for the food, in fact hardly ever as a couple. However it is just a great place to go with friends and sit by the lovely bay . You just seem to enjoy the "whole deal" . However will argue with anyone that they don't provide great value. Sometimes pop in in the morning for a coffee or a beer and probably cheaper than most joints on the front.

Anyway, keep posting

BonysLad

 

[liz d]

How could i forget the water and wine! It is a lovely wine too. I agree with "its not all about the food". It is all about "the deal"

 

[Belladonna]

Agree BL that Stay is better with company as find inside slightly too noisy to have a conversation with just a couple of us, whereas if there is a group you dont mind lifting the volume a bit! Hence the "whole package"!

 

[Lorenzo]

Yes, Stay gets my vote too after an evening meal with friends there last Thursday. We were seated outside initially and then the heavens opened. The staff quickly sprung into action and efficiently moved everyone to inside tables. Many of the waiters & waitresses went back outside in the pouring rain to fetch people's belongings. All the new tables inside were re-laid with new cutlery, appropriate for the courses that had been ordered. And all the meals turned up as ordered without any mistakes. I thought it was excellent that they served all the groups of diners who were now sitting on differently numbered tables inside without making any mistakes.
We had the MDD by the way - and it was excellent value as others have commented. Well done Stay for delivering an excellent and good-humoured meal service under very difficult circumstances!

 

[Trout]

Hi Bonys,

thank you for your thoughts - I am not surprised that I may have stirred up some thoughts with my comments on the populist Stay. It is clear that it is very busy and I acknowledge the outstanding location.

To clarify the point of expense - this is not a personal comment, rather an objective comparison of the a la carte menu. There are few if any more expensive restaurants in PP.

From my own perspective when a restaurant is positioned in such a way then it needs to deliver - and again from my own perspective it is food first. Location and ambience create great added value, but only if you get the food right. I think I also made it clear that the location probably represents a premium of around 40% in the price and take that premium away the food is probably fairly priced for what it is.

As for the service being impeccable - I would disagree. Whilst everything was done very efficiently no-one at any point of the evening asked if we had enjoyed our food, was everything OK and having spent 100 euros for dinner not a single person thanked us for our business or said goodbye as we left.

This is so far from our experience at places like Iru, Zarzales or Piazza where we have always been treated warmly, as if we are family, in that brilliant Spanish way.

Maybe it was just an off night - but I have been in so many restaurants I would not be surprised if I had exactly the same experience again.

I guess I am just not it's target audience - although the thought of a leisurely lunch on the terrace sounds brilliant

 

[debz1]

Lorenzo we were there last Thursday as well!

Have you ever seen such a beautiful calm evening change so quickly? Our son had booked a waterside table 2 days previously and we were slightly miffed when seated inside. But the Maitre Di told us what was forecast and he told us it would be better to stay put...good advise!!

What a show and superb service from all the staff

 

[BonysLad]

Hi Bonys,

thank you for your thoughts - I am not surprised that I may have stirred up some thoughts with my comments on the populist Stay.

Trout,

Don't be surprised or worried about "stirring up some thoughts" cos that is exactly what this Forum is for.

It is very difficult to disagree with your experiences, very objectively put, if I might say so. It really is no excuse not to thank you, ask if you had enjoyed your meal and finally say goodnight. ( I probably outSTAY my welcome cos they keep coming around shouting Buenos Noches to me )

Your point on cost is valid as well because the a la carte menu, as you say, ain't cheap and I would expect extra effort to go into the preparation of each plate.

As you say, please try again, on a good day, lunch , even if you have just one dish is a very pleasant way of passing a couple of hours.

BonysLad

 

[Rab]

I agree with you Liz that the MDD at Stay is amazing value at 32 euros for both the quality of food and the amount of courses...plus you forgot to say that it includes half a bottle of wine in the price They always give liquors on the house..whatever you want not schnapps... so if you dont have an aperitif you will pay no more than the set price!

Best value and food, and certainly best location in the port IMO

Got to agree Debz. With Stays MDD you know exactly what the bill at the end of the night is going to be. We have been in other supposed lesser restaurants and paid more due to wine, water, lagers, coffees etc. A cracking restaurant in a cracking setting.

BTW, nobody has mentioned Can Cuarassa recently. I feel as that although they are sister restaurants Stay is far better than CC. Whenever we go to CC we have the weans with us and you dont get to enjoy the experience as much as going as a couple to Stay.

 

[Belladonna]

I feel they are different types of restaurant completely. CC more of a rustic nature with the garden outside, which is the best place to eat with the children as lots of running around space. Inside is a bit nooks and cranny which is lovely for intimate parties but not children. Not been lately, so dont know what the prices are at the moment.

 

[romanb]

Stay is one of our regular restaurants and the standard can vary we have been and had okay food and then been again and had fantastic food as others have already said it is the location that really sells it. One of our most memorable lunches in Puerto Pollensa over New Year was outside on the terrace in the sunshine we had the mdd and the food was really good they had outside heaters overhead which were switched on later in the afternoon when the sun was going down we could not have wished for a nicer way to spend the afternoon.