Several friends have been recommending Luma this season, so this week I decided to head to Puerto Portals and check it out. Located in a slightly awkward position, on the side of a huge parking lot that serves Marineland and Agora School, this place is in fact super cosy and charming from the moment you set foot in it.
Outside, there are about 10 metal tables spread over Luma’s terrace and the neighbouring estate agent, with comfortable chairs and blankets for cooler mornings that have descended upon us in recent weeks. Inside, the place is stylish and cosy, with healthy salads and yummy cakes on display as well as daily papers and weekly magazines scattered on one of the shelves near the entrance. The place looks inviting and I was greeted with a broad smile before the busy waitress had a moment to attend to me.
To start with I opted for an immune booster drink, bursting with freshly squeezed orange juice, carrot, ginger and some other “good for you” ingredients I can’t remember right now. It was slightly spicy, but refreshing.
I was told that Luma has a different soup of the day (hello autumn!) and dish of the day every day. For now, I was still not ready to eat soup and relinquish the summer in my mind, but I was intrigued by shakshuka, that day’s dish of the day. In case that you don’t know what I am talking about, shakshuka is “a Maghrebi dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion, and garlic, typically spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper”. Shakshuka is a popular dish throughout North Africa and the Middle East.
Mine was served in a stylish looking ceramic bowl and accompanied with two slices of fresh sourdough bread. Initially I was a little disappointed seeing just one egg in it, but this quickly turned into a smile as I spotted the second poached egg hiding below the first. Having just had a pretty spicy fruit juice with a lot of ginger, I did not get the typical kick out of skakshuka’s spices, but the more I ate the more I enjoyed it. I literally licked the plate clean and felt very satisfied.
I was already as full as I would have liked to be, but I just had to check out the cakes as well. For research purposes only, you understand! Their apple pie looked absolutely delicious and not having it would have been a sin. It was about 5 cm tall, with a thick crust on the bottom and sides and some criss-cross patterned crust on the top. It reminded me of the best apple pie I have ever tried, at Winkel 43 in Amsterdam. This one, served warm and with a few blobs of whipped cream, was just as good if not better. I would happily come back just for this cake, but then again, both the fresh juice and shakshuka deserve another visit.
The prices here are also pretty decent. I ate really well for the round sum of 20 euros!
THE VERDICT
Refreshing juices, tasty food and lovely service. The “dish of the day” is a great value for money. The terrace and the interior both feel nice and welcoming. I will definitely be back soon!
THE PLACE
Luma Local Brunch
Carrer Garcilaso de la Vega, 1, local 4, 07181 Calvià, Illes Balears
Instagram: @luma_localbrunch
OPENING TIMES
Mon-Fri 8am-4pm
Sat 8am-3pm
Sunday closed
THE BILL
Immune system boost 4.50€
Apple pie 5.50€
Shakshuka 10€