For true Ibicenco food, you would be hard pressed to find a better place to sample it than Sa Soca. The restaurant is on the road to San Jose from San Antonio, and as you drive along it, you will see the restaurant suddenly reveal itself. It is really worth stopping to take a look inside at this charming and elegant restaurant with its magical views of open fields - and once there, you simply have to sit down and eat: to not do so would be a crime.
There are two dining areas an inside space and an outside area that has a gorgeous vine-covered terrace that simply invites you into another world. There are flowers all around and you have a feeling of being part of where the food is from, being literally in the countryside. Like a secret garden, the rewards are on the inside. Imagine a night out with your close friends or your lover, looking out to the beautiful nature of Ibiza under a starry sky.
Starters for ten
What sets the place apart from the excellent fare on offer is the service. The restaurant is family-run and has been for many years. You will experience a genuine delight in their mission to make your night one to remember. Nothing is too much trouble and any questions or requests you have will be attended to - if they can do it, they will. It is a distinct point of difference to get this kind of personal attention: often restaurants excel in either the food or the service. Here you get both.
There is a series of delicious-sounding hot starters and salads. We went for hot with the lightly battered prawns a la Romana: big fat juicy seafood topped with herbs and served with an onion relish, perfectly complementing the sweetness of the prawns. Needless to say, they lasted virtually seconds with our party. The next starter is a classic, huevos estrellados (starry eggs). It is usually served with fried potatoes and cured ham then topped with a fried egg with the yolk mixed into the rest of the ingredients. We had ours made with thick slices of the local spicy cured sausage, sobrasada. It's worth asking if they have this available if you want to try this delicious sausage, but if they don't, the cured ham version is just as good.
Supreme tender cod
We then had a trio of mains, a cod with parsley sauce and if you think you know this dish, think again. This was a plate of tender, soft and tasty cod fillet with a deliciously creamy sauce flecked with the fresh herbs and studded with prawns and potatoes. One of my fellow guests was in raptures about the quality of this dish and she knows what she's talking about.
Tender meats
One to try is the Sa Soca rabbit stew, which must have been cooked for days, with the slow-cooked meat just to easy to gobble up all at once. It bears the name of the restaurant and bears trying, especially if you haven't tried it before. For those that fear to read, this is a great introduction to the meat and it sets the standard high. Warning though: this could be the bit of rabbit you ever tasted. The shoulder of lamb special was sheer roasted meat perfection. You couldn't ask for a finer bit of lamb, tender, juicy and tasty and infused with the flavour of its diet of wild herbs. Stunning.
Gooey goodness
For dessert, we settled on a very traditional Ibicenco pudding, greixonera, which is made with sweet spiral-shaped bread, eggs, milk, butter and sugar. It's thick and very satisfying with its delicious unctuousness oozing the aromatics of lemon and cinnamon. A true Ibiza original on a plate. We also had a lemon and mascarpone tarte, which was soft gooey goodness that no one was about to leave. We didn't.
Sa Soca is one of those experiences where you will walk out into the night with a smile on your face. It's no wonder this place has been successful for so long or that customers go back again and again. We think you'll want to too.
Quick facts
What? Sa Soca
Where? Carretera de San Jose
When? Open from February to the end of November
Why? For supremely tasty Ibiza soul food and that incredible service
Average spend per head? Around €40 for a starter, main and dessert
Veggie Options? Some salads and a roast vegetable plate, though not many
Disabled Facilities? Yes
Top tips? There's an extensive wine list though do ask for what local wines they have
Room for Improvement? An easy no
WORDS | Julian Heathcote PHOTOGRAPHY | Peter Young
