Sunday 9 November 2014

Majuga Restaurant, a review

Located on the same street as two of the more famous restaurants in Las Palmas, Amaiur and Deliciosa Marta, Majuga is up against some stiff competition. However, it can depend on a significant advantage: Deliciosa Marta is always fully booked (I'd tried to book a table 3 weeks in advance and had no luck) and Amaiur is rather more expensive. Having said that, when I walked by it, there was a For Sale sign on a window, so it could very well be that they'd already closed down.

Majuga looked bigger outside than it was inside; actually, it wasn't small, but the tables were large and you'll find the place spacious and comfortable. There were a few tables out on the street for some al fresco eating, but the day we were there, it was much too "fresco" to be sitting outside.

Lighting was somewhat on the dim side. We were not seated by the window, so I didn't have the assistance of natural light and had to push the ISO all the way up to be able to take these shots, not having brought my flash and not wanting to use the built-in one.

Review of Majuga Restaurant, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Olive oil with salt & vinegar
Artwork donned the walls, but I think we were eyeing this little dish more! In the dim lighting, it looked opaque and I was wondering what it was until I realised that it was olive oil with a splash of vinegar. The vinegar was sweetish, so it was probably mixed with some honey, or possibly, palm syrup. In any case, it didn't stay on the plate very long in spite of the maître saying to us, "Don't even dream of touching that!" Haha.

Review of Majuga Restaurant, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

We were there on a Saturday, just after 3pm and these people in the above photo were the only other customers - a couple and a table of three. Considering this, I'd expected a brisker service, but it wasn't so. Service was more of a laid-back kind, though professional and attentive.

We usually have at least a salad or vegetables of some sort, but probably because of the weather, which was damp and grey, we didn't fancy one that day. We also had had our fair share of eggs lately, so eggs were out, too. Finally, we opted for some steamed mussels.

Majuga restaurant review, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

These were fresh, juicy and steamed to their al dente point. No complaints here except it's a pretty simple dish.

Review of Majuga Restaurant, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Steamed mussels
Next up were some sausage rolls, but probably not the kind you'd think of. I'm talking Morcilla sausage, which seems to be the trendy ingredient these days. See my review of Pier 19. It was rolled in filo pastry (I think) and served on a bed of mushroom sauce. This dish went down really well, the pastry, crispy and crumbly.

Note that the price on the menu is for two rolls, but you can have as many as you want for €3.25 a piece.

Review of Majuga Restaurant, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Crispy morcilla roll
For the main course, our choice was rice as it seemed to be their speciality. We chose the black rice with fish and baby squid (arroz negro de pescado y chipirones), and rice with scallops and duck (arroz con vieiras rellenas y jamón de pato).

If you order the black rice, you'd be asked if you would like some alioli with it. I'd recommend you to say yes. It made the rice nicely soft and creamy.

Both the rice dishes were very tasty indeed, but I found them just a little too salty. What happens is that often, stock is very salty so either no additional salt needs to be used or it needs to be diluted with water, but not so much that they kill the taste of the stock. Comparing the black rice with Pier 19's, the latter gets my vote.

Review of Majuga Restaurant, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Two rice dishes
We don't often have desserts, but the tentación de chocolate en dos texturas was just too much temptation, I guess. This is precisely one reason why naming/describing your dishes well will result in more sales! The milk chocolate had us going mmm, in spite of our preference for the darker variety. Perhaps it was the texture, perhaps it was the taste, but it won this round.

Review of Majuga Restaurant, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Double chocolate temptation
I was glad I'd asked for a cortado because it was perfect. Consider me a fusspot if you like, but I am seldom satisfied with the coffee I get served with. To be perfect, it has to have the correct balance of coffee and milk, frothed up until just the right point. And the temperature has to be hotter than warm, cooler than boiling. Of course, the coffee has to be good, too.

Like I said, it was perfect. Enjoying my coffee together with the dessert, the combination left a satisfying taste on my palate.


Type of restaurant: Spanish, rice
Verdict: Highly recommended!
Average cost: €20-30 per person
Telephone: 928 381 791/659 746571
Location:




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