When eating becomes an experience of a lifetime

This month we spend time with top chefs from "Casa Colonial"

How to learn French and Thai in 3 hours - discover the joys of Franco- Thai cuisine! This is the philosophy behind the "Casa Colonial" restaurant.

We were lucky enough to be allowed a peek into head chef Wolfgang Lettner and his team's pots and pans. Keep reading to find out what they were dishing up - plus the recipes for the dishes of the day that our reporter Wiltrud Schwetje and photographer Rudiger Eichhorn spent hours raving on about back in the office until we were all seething with jealousy...

The chefs at "Casa Colonial" can only be satisfied that their customers have had a good time if they see them leaving the restaurant with a smile on their faces. "A serious chef has to love the job - and do everything they can to make the customer happy!" says Wolfgang Lettner, the chef from Munich who has spent the last ten years or so running this high class restaurant on the road to Santa Eulalia with his partners Daniel Bernard and Gunther Becker. Everything has to be just right: from the atmosphere in the restaurant to the service and, of course, particularly the food. Anyone who's ever been to "Casa Colonial" knows that the team make this their absolute priority...

Wolfgang Lettner, 35, never feels more at home than when he's at the market surrounded by the smell of fresh vegetables, fruit and herbs in all shapes, sizes and colours. Doing the rounds for the restaurant kitchen is not a duty - it's a treat that never ceases to give him pleasure. After all, high quality products are the basis for delicious dishes. He also pays regular visits to his suppliers so that he can personally pick out the boxes of goods that he wants delivered. When you see how cheerful and enthusiastic he is as he makes his way through the market hall in Santa Eulalia, it's easy to imagine how his mood is going to influence his food - even if he's not the one juggling the pots and pans...

Together with his chefs, Leon and Bjorn, Wolfgang has already invested some time and energy into putting together our gourmet meal: the starter will be a Thai tom ka soup, followed by a Frenchstyle John dory served with an olive piecrust, and finally, a dessert of olive oil ice cream with fresh basil and strawberries. It sounds unusual but delicious, and we're eagerly anticipating our meal.

Tom ka soup We've decided to make an exception and prepare enough of this soup to serve six, because it's so good that you'll be more than happy to have some left over to enjoy the next day... 1 chicken 1 litre chicken broth 8 lemon leaves Juice of 6 limes 3 stalks of lemongrass 15 g sugar 5 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp fish sauce 20 g oyster sauce 40 tbsp coconut milk 10 g tom ka paste Blend the carrots, celery and leek. Fry gently in butter and top up with water. Add a whole chicken. Bring to the boil and then add the remaining ingredients, including the outer part of the squeezed limes, which will add extra flavour. Leave to simmer for one hour. Put the mixture through the sieve. Remove the chicken from the carcass and chop finely with 1 chilli and 1 spring onion. Add some oil, salt and pepper to taste. The mixture of chicken, chilli and spring onion will be served cold with the soup. Decorate the soup with coriander, grated carrot and strips of celery - and enjoy!

We strike it lucky at the fish stall because they've just received a delivery fresh from the harbour in Sant Antoni. The woman in charge of the stall assures us that the John Dory that will be the centrepiece of today's lunch menu is from the same source. "Has it got its passport handy?" asks Wolfgang to gales of laughter. Although it hasn't got any ID on it, the fish changes hands in the blink of an eye - because an expert like Wolfgang can tell from the clear eyes and bright red gills that this John Dory really is fresh.

When you're buying fish, always remember: if the eyes are cloudy and the gills are grey or brown and stuck together, you're best off looking elsewhere! We stop off at the vegetable stall to buy some crisp lettuces, sprouted veg, new potatoes, thyme, basil and strawberries - then it's time to head back from the market to the restaurant.

The "Casa Colonial" has a great location, perched up on top of a hill, and can be reached via a wide access road. The Ibizan farmhouse is at least 400 years old and has a charm all of its own. When Wolfgang and his partners discovered this rare jewel at the end of the 1990s, it had been lying empty for many years. It took two years to convert and restore it to its former glory by carefully blending traditional features with architectural styles from colonial times and the Far East.

John Dory in an olive pie crust Serves 4 For the olive pie crust: 1 handful each of green and black olives (preferably local varieties) 1 small aubergine 1 small courgette 1 clove of garlic 60 g butter 40 g breadcrumbs Salt 1/2 lemon Worcester sauce Cayenne pepper 2 to 3 sprays of fresh thyme 2 to 3 sprays of fresh rosemary 2 to 3 small bunches of parsley Beat the butter until it is creamy and white. Cut the courgette and the aubergine into very thin slices and bake in the oven for around 15 minutes at 180 degrees. Then chop finely and mix with the other ingredients. Place the mixture on a sheet of cling film before transferring both to a sheet of aluminium foil. Now roll the sheet up tightly and place in the freezer. Once the mixture has cooled down, cut into slices the width of your finger and grill in the oven until they turn golden brown. Carrot vinaigrette: 1 tbsp mustard seeds 2 carrots 1 clove of garlic 1 shallot 50 ml white balsamic vinegar 50 ml apple vinegar 50 ml olive oil 50 g sugar 150 ml normal oil 10 ml sherry vinegar Salt and pepper to taste Finely chop the carrots, garlic clove and shallot. Mix all of the ingredients well until you have a smooth sauce. Bake a few thin courgette slices in the oven and serve on a plate. Salt lightly and add oil. Place the grilled fish on top of the sliced courgettes and season with the cold carrot dressing. Serve with a side dish of broccoli florets and potatoes.

Today, the house is a cosy network of dining areas with wooden ceilings and open fires, and long, Asian-style terraces lined with palm trees. "Casa Colonial" hosts concerts and regular exhibitions, particularly during the summer months. "We have good connections with local artists. They provide variety and help us to make sure that the place is always well decorated, while we offer them a platform where they can exhibit their work. They help to create a good atmosphere." says Wolfgang. After all, food, wine and art complement each other very well...

The chefs at the restaurant need to be artists in their own right and during the high season there are six of them working there, alongside two assistants. They prepare top quality Franco-Thai cuisine. For a year the restaurant has been attracting customers with its unique offer: a menu with a five choice starter and a main course from the daily specials.

To make sure no one loses interest, the specials are changed every day. "If the menu is too much, customers can choose to order a snack. Even if they just want to drink a glass of wine or a cocktail at the bar, they are more than welcome," says Wolfgang as he explains the restaurant's philosophy.

He takes us on a whirlwind tour of the herb and vegetable garden where he pauses to pick a few peppermint leaves and sprays of rosemary that will be needed later on in the kitchen. In summer, the garden is full of peppers, tomatoes, chillis, cape gooseberries, strawberries and many other delights besides. You would be hard pressed to find a fresher source of food!

Back in the kitchen, Belgian Leon and German Bjorn have started preparing the meal. You can see that they work well as a team: while Leon puts together the chicken broth for the tom ka soup and chops the vegetables, Bjorn is busy preparing the olive oil ice cream that will be served as dessert. After he's finished, he starts expertly filleting the fish (with a dexterity that leaves us green with envy) and whips up a carrot vinaigrette for the main course.

However, before the dressing can be served the chefs still have to prepare the dough for the olive pie crust, which is left to cool in the freezer before being cut into slices, laid on top of the fish and placed in the oven to bake until it turns golden brown. And let's not forget the broccoli and potatoes, which still have to be boiled, and the basil sauce for the dessert - Bjorn and Leon still have plenty to do. After all, cooking isn't all about creativity - it's also very hard work.

Mouth-wateringly tempting smells have been wafting through the kitchen for some time now. The moment has come: the food is laid out on plates and served up. Wolfgang has been down to the wine cellar, packed with wonderful Spanish and French vintages, to select a "Heretat Vall Ventos" - a Sauvignon Blanc from Penedes that rounds out a delicious meal to perfection.

The Thai soup is a magnificent concoction that not only smells fantastic, but tastes great too. The John Dory in its olive pie crust and cold vinaigrette turns out to be a tastebud sensation. The best way to find out what we're talking about here is to have a go at cooking these dishes for yourselves using the recipes we've included right after this report. Bon appetit - or bon profit, as they say on Ibiza...

Restaurant Casa Colonial,
on the road from Santa Eulalia to Eivissa, km 2
Tel.: 646 377 695 or 971 338 001
www.Casa-Colonial-Ibiza.com
Opening hours until the end of April: from 7 p.m.
during the summer: from 8 p.m.