Right around the corner: Tasquita d'Esquina

**** Sadly, Tasquita d’Esquina closed again. ****

When Sandra Viva discovered the vacant corner store next to Plaça Raimundo Clar she instantly knew that this was what she was looking for. She called her brother Helder in Porto and asked him to move to Mallorca. Together they opened Tasquita d’Esquina and introduced a new dish to foodies in Palma: the Francesinha.

Francesinha is a Portuguese sandwich from Porto, Sandra’s and Helder’s home town. The traditional Francesinha consists of steak, fresh sausage, boiled ham, chorizo and a special sauce, the salsa francesinha. It’s this sauce that matters, so the recipe always remains a well kept secret. The cult dish usually comes with french fries and is considered one of the ten best sandwiches in the world, Sandra told me proudly.

Next to the classic Franceshinha Simple Tasquita d’Esquina also serves the variation with fried egg and a vegetarian version with mango and mushrooms. There’s more authentic Portugese food on the menue. My favorites are the chickpea salad with tuna and the green salad with green apple. And the green olives with the spicy seasoned carrots, a recipe from Helder’s grandmother.

I liked Tasquita’s atmosphere right away. Large windows, red brick walls and an eclectic mix of cozy vintage furniture. Some quiet jazzy tunes and a selection of beautiful photographs from Sandra, who is also a photographer. A corner bar – the literal meaning of tasquita – to meet neighbors and friends.