The evening begins outside, a glass of chilled Bollinger in one hand, a savoury beetroot and goat’s cheese macaron in the other. We gather on the terrace overlooking Puerto Portals as the marina settles into dusk. Superyachts bob below, the energy of the harbour drifts upwards and conversations begin between guests, many of whom have only just met. It is glamorous, certainly, but never stiff.
There is a sense that something is about to happen. After several more tantalising morsels are passed around, Simon Petutschnig invites us to the kitchen, where chefs Marco and Santiago are already at work. Created as a private dining experience for just 12 guests, FERA Chef’s Table is intimate without feeling restrained. The evening has barely begun, yet its intention is already clear: we are not here simply to eat, but to take part.
Inside the performance
Originally from Austria, Simon trained in classical French cuisine before spending 15 years working in Barcelona. He later moved to Mallorca to open Hotel Sant Francesc, where he met his business partner Iván Levy. FERA, Alma and YARA followed, with FERA Chef’s Table now marking their latest project, or, as Simon calls it on the night, his “new baby.”
He presents it with pride. This is not a kitchen operating behind closed doors. The chefs are meant to be watched. Simon moves easily between host and cook, while Marco and Santiago plate with fierce concentration and the sommelier keeps the conversation flowing through each pairing. At one point, Simon holds up a traditional Japanese grater made from sharkskin and prepares fresh wasabi. Later, a plume of dry ice curls around the moss-filled centrepieces. There is theatre here, and grandeur too, but always with something delicious waiting at the end of it.
The menu takes us from scallops and caviar to lobster, wild salmon, Simmental beef, rhubarb and honey. Simon’s Mediterranean-Asian cooking draws heavily on Japanese flavours, yet Mallorca remains close at hand. Bread is served with biodynamic Son Naava Arbequina olive oil and Flor de Sal d’Es Trenc. The wines include bottles from Montesion Wine Estate in Porreres, made by Can Feliu, while honey from Son Naava’s 24 beehives appears towards the end. These details could easily feel like a list of credentials. Here, they are simply part of the conversation.
“Sharing a table is a rare luxury”
The luxury of sharing
While seated, the long table changes the mood again. We are still surrounded by polish and performance, but the evening quickly becomes social. Questions travel towards the kitchen. Simon and the sommelier answer them with relish. Plates arrive, glasses are filled, and people who met over champagne are soon comparing favourite courses.
This, Simon says, is the point. “In a world full of distractions, sharing a table is a rare luxury. If guests leave talking to each other instead of looking at their phones, we’ve achieved something far greater than serving a great meal.”
It is a telling definition of luxury in a room overlooking one of Mallorca’s most glamorous marinas. FERA Chef’s Table is sophisticated and unapologetically special, the kind of place chosen for an occasion. Yet its lasting impression is not distance or formality. Guests are drawn into the action, into the stories behind each dish and, eventually, into conversation with one another.
“We don’t just serve food,” Simon says. “We create moments of connection that can’t be repeated and won’t be forgotten.”
By the time the petit fours arrive, the plates are cleared and the dry ice is long gone. What remains is exactly what Simon hoped for: memories, connection and plenty still to talk about.
Text by Ché Miller | Photos by Jonatan Barzola
Address details
