Restaurante Franchipani

Closed·opens at 18:00·more…

Monday	closed
Tuesday	closed
Wednesday	closed
Thursday	18:00 - 22:00
Friday	18:00 - 22:00
Saturday	14:00 - 22:00
Sunday	14:00 - 21:00

A place where dishes catch the eye and delight the palate - a top recommendation, if you are up to treat yourself with something very special! 

The cook Heidy has been presenting up-level fine dishes for many years, the best wine complementing her dishes is recommended by her spouse. As far as possible, local organic products are used. Additionally to the regular menu there is a varying weekly menu.

An innovative treat on the Isla Bonita - for almost two decades

The cook Heidy van de Vorst arrived on La Palma in spring 1998. In December of the same year she opened the Restaurant Franchipani — at the entrance to the Urbanisation Celta, located between the two towns Los Llanos and El Paso.

It is a place, where fresh and local products are interpreted in the world cuisine-style, served in a cosy and relaxing atmosphere while enjoying a friendly service. Upon request, you will be recommended a wine from the island or the Spanish mainland complementing your menu.

The chef restaurateur, Heidy de Vorst, who originally comes from a small village near Eidhoven, became acquainted with exotic flavours and dishes adapting foreign ingredients and unscripted preparation methods on the Netherlands Antilles and in Puerto Rico.

It is also where she made her own processing up to 20kg gilthead sea bream (Dorades) and other fish like Wahoo (Peto) and some tuna sorts caught in the wild,

During that time creativity and implementation were in demand, as circumstances of the small ABC island Bonaire about 20 years ago were similar to those on La Palma, limited and not that effortless like on the European mainland.

During an intensive cooking course in Thailand Heidy perfected a safe handling with spiciness, freshness and unusual flavours. 

Life on the beautiful Canary Island between sea and mountains and the exchange with her spouse Rüdiger Wastl inspire creations of the owner and chef de cuisine. Moreover medias like professional magazines and the internet broaden her culinary horizon.

Mother and Restaurant Manager

In 2013 Heidy and Rüdiger became parents, their son Sem was born.

This even intensified their awareness for the use of fresh and healthy food, some of which are organically grown by themselves.

Thus, they completely quitted poultry from their menu (since 2016), as the couple does not want to back-up miserable keeping conditions and pharmaceutical manipulation  of those animals.

The much-loved Shoarma* is now interpreted (a little unorthodoxly) as an Iberian Bellota-pork.

This nutty-tasting meat is of excellent quality and freely roaming pigs, that reach about 40% of their live weight by eating acorns and herbs. That Spanish speciality does not have much in common with the pork we know from our German supermarkets.

*Shoarma – Israeli seasoned Iberian Bellota-pork fillet served with green salad and fresh garlic-mint sauce, sesame sauce, Naan bread and homemade French fries.

Wide range of Vegetarian Dishes as well as fresh and high-quality Fish and Meat

Their continuous striving for improvement and modernisation is also manifested in 2015 by the newly design of the restaurant. 

A new logo also expresses their innovative spirit.

The updated menu includes creations like:

• canned red pepper filled with potato-stockfish purée on pepper sauce served with nut-parmesan-biscuits with black garlic oil,
• hot beef tenderloin curry with mango-chutney, Raita, red lentils-Dal and flavoured rice,
• red beet filled with goat and cow's cream cheese served with Quinoa and grilled zucchini.

A weekly varying menu holds seasonal dishes and delicious surprises in store, like "Tuna-Sashimi, sake, soy sauce, grainy mustard, rucola, cabbage turnip und beetroot" or "beef steak, apple, coffee, potatoes, rosemary with salad".

However, there is no need for regular customers to abstain from Franchipani classics, like spicy prawns with saffron mayonnaise, hot Thai fish soup or own creations like the homemade passion fruit liqueur, Kir-Franchipani, sweet potato-Parmesan praline, Montadaitos with marinated leek and Iberian Bellota-ham.

And even mood lifters like the Chili-Brownie with coconut ice cream can make a crowning end of your menu. 

Besides Asian or Caribbean flavours there are also offered fine traditional dishes like for example the"Beef tenderloin 220 grams on light red wine with French fries and salad"  as well as vegetarian specialities like "Crumble with roasted red pepper, zucchini, La Palma goat cheese, crumbled nuts served with Dijon mustard-orange sauce and salad" or "Eggplant-Gordon Bleu with cheese filling and tomato sauce served with celery purée".

Some vegetarian dishes are also available in a vegan version. Rüdiger gladly assists you with food intolerances like lactose intolerance; gluten-free bread is available on request.

Local cuisine is interpreted like the appetizer Crème Brûlée, made of La Palma goat cheesee with crunchy almond bread  and oven roasted red pepper. 

This dish found very positive resonance at the Tapas competition „Ruta del Gallo 2015“.

And the flavoured Fleur de Sel (salt) made by Sal Océano on La Palma, which is used for refining some dishes, is also available in the restaurant.

— And in case you prefer to do some shopping between the individual courses you find some local silver- and lava jewellery as well as driftwood objects from Jasmin Dahlmann.

Selected Wines perfectly round off the Gastronomic Experience

Rüdiger Wastl, Heidy's business partner and spouse is in charge of the service and is a true wine expert.

He carefully selects wines from La Palma and Spain that complement the dishes. It's worth asking for his recommendation, as those precious drops round off the unique gastronomic experience.

Besides white wines from the Spanish mainland like Verdejo and Albariño from Rías Baixas and the Rueda-area as well as red wine (e.g. Mencia, Tempranillo, Tinta del país) originating from areas like Bierzo, Ribera del Duero, Extremadura, Toro und Rioja, there are - of course - also some of the best wines from the island.

White Wine from the Albillo grape (2014) made by Bodegas Piedra Jurada, and El Níspero, from the Las Briestas Wine Factory also a Listán and from the Bodega Tamanca they offer white wine "Selección" from the grape sorts Albillo, Vijariego, Malvasía, Marmujuelo and Sabro.

From Tamanca there is also a Rosé (2015), red wines from El Níspero (Listán negra, 2014) and Matias i Torres tinto, Negramoll, 2014, 3-6 months matured in barrel.