Kumharas in San Antonio Bay has come a long way since its original hippy origins. That vibe is still very much in play, as you will discover when you visit and take a look inside. There is a chill out area inspired by Morocco, a big restaurant area and a seafront bar area with all kinds of artifacts from places like India and Indonesia. To round it off, there's the reproduction old Ibiza pirate tower, looming above and they even have a hippy market, selling clothes and jewellery.
The place is open through the day from 10am in the morning when they serve healthy breakfasts and a selection of organic, cold pressed juices. There are also morning sessions of things like yoga, tai chi and relaxation in their “Mindfulness” programme. It's a place where you could spend most of your day right up to seeing one of the amazing sunset views for which Kumharas is legendary.
Entertained every evening
Each evening sees some form of entertainment with musicians, live DJ sets and dancers. For us, on a Tuesday it was the turn of Paco Fernandez and his flamenco show. Paco combines his intricate Spanish guitar sounds and the spirit of flamenco with a keyboard accompanist, an MC rapping, some hip hop and then dance with world styles like Latin American or Arabic. Each piece uses combinations of these different elements to create a show that is in turn vibrant, haunting, cutting-edge and exhilarating. It's highly recommended.
Kumharas' menu fuses global flavours with spices and flavourings of Thailand, Japan and India making their way to the very original menu. There is a great array of starters with things like Tom Yam Gum soup, curried asparagus tempura or chicken satay to give an idea of the world flavour base. We skipped these and went straight for the mains; though if you have room, do try them as they look amazing.
Spice profusion
We went for a good cross section of the menu, which for main dishes is divided into three areas: woks, fish and meat. From the woks section we had two spicy dishes, one was the old favourite Lamb Tikka Masala. This combines a special blend of Indian spices with tender leg of lamb and lots of yoghurt to keep the heat to a manageable level. The meat seemed to have been cooked for days, coming out fork tender with the profusion of spices gently coming through with each bite. The Thai red curry with vegetables is lovely. It's softened by coconut milk, which gives it a delicious delicacy combined with the flavours of lemongrass and a touch of fish sauce creeping through. It's potent, pungent and a pleasure to eat. What more could you want?
Yummy ribs
The next dish was a steak, fillet to be exact, offering an accompaniment of parsnip mash and wild mushroom ragout, finished off with a Japanese cold black pepper sauce. The steak was a perfect medium rare, easy to cut, and as for taste, a poem. The spiced edge of the pepper sauce gave this almost butter-like steak an additional lift, with a warming welcome when the beef hits your mouth. The final dish was a good bit of sweet and sour pork, done Kumharas style. Placed on a crunchy salad of spiced raw vegetables were strips of tasty Iberian pork rib - I don't know what they use to make meat tender here, but it's catching. The combination of the soft, soft meat with the texture of the crunchy vegetables is this dish's ace. No surprise to say that none of it went back to the kitchen.
The call of dessert was too hard to resist, for this one hungry diner. The cake with three types of chocolate was the pefect conslusion to the evening, a taste explosion whose richness was nicely balanced with a delicate, slightly zingy apple sorbet. Only then, my friends, was I done.
Kumharas is where the world and the world's flavours meet each other, a global melting pot of people and food. It's time to find out for yourselves.
Quick Facts
What? Kumharas
Where? Cala de Bou, San Antonio Bay
When? 10am-3am Monday to Friday from the end of April to mid-October
Why? It's just rude not to after all these years or a legend in the making
Average spend per head? Around €50 for a starter, main, dessert, glass of house wine and excellent entertainment
Note: the daytime menu has dishes starting at €11 up to €18 and includes items like homemade burgers, quinoa salad with fresh tuna and steak with salad. On Sunday's there is an Asiatic buffet for just €17.
Veggie Options? Many of the main dishes in the “wok” section of the menu can be made veggie, so do ask
Disabled Facilities? Yes, easy access
Top tips? Go watch the sunset with their signature “Kumharas” blend of tequila, mango and habanero chilli in hand
WORDS | Julian Heathcote PHOTOGRAPHY | Peter Young
