WEBBER´S MAJORCAN RESTAURANT PARADISE

By Humphrey Carter
MAJORCA has the best restaurants in the world and that is according to Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has challenged the “historic” food critic (film director) Michael Winner to come out and see for himself. Composer Lloyd Webber bought a million-pound retreat in Deya last summer where he not only finished writing his latest musical, but also discovered the joys of Majorca's varied restaurants. According to the Observer, Winner bumped into Lloyd Webber while dining in London last week and accepted the offer to come out to Majorca this Easter and, whether Winner likes what he finds or not, any Winner publicity is good publicity. However, the Bulletin chef Marc Fosh is confident Winner will be pleasantly surprised. Fosh, the Michelin Star chef at Read's Hotel where Webber had lunch just a few week ago, admitted that, while “the best restaurants in the world” statement “might be a slight exaggeration, although things have certainly got much better since I arrived on the island,” he jokes, “the standard of restaurants in Majorca has significantly improved over the past ten years. “Few people realise that Majorca has more Michelin Stars than Madrid at the moment, so the proof is the pudding,” Fosh said yesterday. “I think Majorca has eight or nine stars and there are two or three more chefs coming through. “But it's not just the chefs and restaurants which have improved, it's the local suppliers, the standard of fresh local produce has improved greatly and, with so many flights now, it's much easier to get hold of produce from overseas very quickly. “The influx of wealthy residents and visitors demanding good food and quality service has also led to many of the restaurants and hotels improving their products and, with Majorca being such a wealthy place, there are plenty of clients to support top quality restaurants,” Fosh said. What is more, while Winner heads to Majorca, Fosh will be heading to Toronto where he has been invited by Canada's top celebrity chef, Susur Lee to guest chef a special night of Mediterranean/ Majorcan food. So Majorca's a winner all round.