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There's more to the name 801 than you could ever imagine - as Maria Ballester and José Guardiola's stylish restaurant was once a bank - somewhere safe to keep precious possessions and an institution where people took care of your financial affairs. The only feature that has remained is the fact that they can still assure you, not about keeping your prized assets out of harm's way, but of enjoying a dining experience that would qualify among the best in Palma.

The elegantly refurbished dining room is where the safety deposit boxes used to be situated and the name, 801, was the number of a box. The old spaces have tastefully been incorporated into the restaurant. 

The owners have always been aficionados of travel and gastronomy and at 801 they ensure customers get to sample some of the best market cuisine at reasonable prices, and the hidden treasures of the bank are now open for all to taste and enjoy. Well presented traditional dishes that are given an appealing modern twist appear on the sleek tables. The chefs visit the nearby Olivar Market to select their fresh ingredients, which are then devotedly prepared in the open kitchen.

A cafeteria menu focuses on a range of tapas such as salads of warm chicken or goats' cheese, rocket, cherry tomatoes and basil oil, and other choices could include octopus with steamed potatoes, stuffed quail legs, succulent pieces of barbequed shrimp in soya or vegetables with fresh cheese; Iberico ham with mushrooms and Emmental cheese gratin on toast, and tempura of red pepper stuffed with shellfish in squid ink.

The main menu offers wonderful starters of foie gras terrine with toasted corn and sun dried apricot puree or vegetable tempura with salmon tartar. Mains of lamb chops appear on potato gratin with mint sauce and beef is cooked in red wine and accompanied by 801's special mashed potatoes. Fish lovers will delight in candied cod with garlic and spring onion, and red tuna served with Thai style sautéed vegetables.

Their helpful staff will provide advice on what to choose from a list of sinful desserts such as banana cooked in vanilla with chocolate ice cream, their version of Toblerone, and Idiazábal cheese and quince roll with 'Tolosa cigarettes'. A carefully chosen list of wines includes popular as well as innovative numbers that support the food very well.

Dining is invariably that much more pleasurable in an engaging and restful atmosphere, but only your imagination could be trusted to lead you to a restaurant as beautiful as this. Es Moli Den Bou is surrounded by fields of orange and almond and located in a lovely old stone mill - making every minute of your time there, absolutely unforgettable. A shellfish stone staircase leads up to the comfortable dining area decorated simply and in complete harmony with the surroundings.

Consider yourself fortunate when you get to taste Chef Tomeu Caldentey's wonderful creations. He is the man behind the success of this venture that offers uncomplicated yet creative Mallorcan dishes to diners who love to call the place their own. The appealing twists he has given to traditional island cuisine have helped him to achieve a Michelin Star.

Different varieties of local olive oil are used by Tomeu's young and energetic team to create mouth watering fare. You could consider the coca, a traditional pizza with sweet onions and cured Sobrassada pork sausages; prawns with peas; an interesting dish of foie gras with dark chocolate and roasted sweet corn, or a creamy marine soup with crab meat and zucchini to make a flavoursome start.

These could be followed by a special fish of the day that comes to the table accompanied by pumpkin and cocoa or Venere rice and saffron. An aromatic dish of lamb with honey and mint or leg of deer with apple and cinnamon are other popular creations that burst with the amazing flavours of Mallorca.

The desserts are worth more than a passing glance, with choices such as Mahone cheese ice cream with melon and apricot, strawberries with goats' milk, and walnuts with chocolate and mint, that tempt you to indulge.

The wine list features numbers such as Miquel Gelabert Torrent Negre 2003 and AIA 2002, from noteworthy Mallorcan producers as well as a range from mainland Spain along with cava and champagne. Their sommelier gladly assists customers who need advice on the best combination of food and drink.

The staff serve you in a manner that definitely adds to the joy of dining, making a meal at Es Moli Den Bou, in the village of Sant Llorenc de Cardassar, an experience that lovers of good food should not miss.

Manuel Dominguez Limeres has always believed in preserving the richness of Spain's classic cuisine. In his endeavour to put his beliefs into practice, he has introduced the people of Madrid to the wondrous flavours of traditional Galician cuisine through Combarro and Sanxenxo, two of his popular restaurants.

An impressive arched entrance welcomes customers to Sanxenxo's modern interior with attractive antiques, Galician paintings and soothing music, which helps to make the atmosphere warm and intimate. They have a shellfish tank - filled specially with water brought from Pontevedra in Galicia - from which you can select spider crabs, lobsters and other products of the sea, all kept in optimum conditions.

The chefs at Sanxenxo create seafood, fish and meat dishes that have carefully been passed down from one generation to the next. Fresh produce from the Northern coast of Galicia is at the heart of all their cooking, and the menu offers oysters, crabs, scallops, crayfish, hake and turbot all cooked or grilled to perfection. You could linger over some excellent tapas and wine in the stylish bar before heading to any of the dining areas for a meal.

Consider starting off a meal with some spicy seafood soup, shrimps in garlic, sea crabs or freshwater crayfish from the river before going in for the specialities such as the oven baked wild turbot on a bed of potatoes, cod empanadas - a kind of pasty - Galician hake, octopus, salted sea bass, red mullet with fries and vegetables, or the exotic lamprey. Those who prefer meat could sample juicy chops of sucking lamb or veal, partridge pie, cured pork with greens as well as a range of steaks.

Carefully selected wines from France, plus from Spain, Ribera del Duero, Rioja, Penedès and Galicia's own Godello, ensure customers always get to taste the best of drink as well as food. Finally, if you're wondering what their desserts are, a mousse of yoghurt in crystals of honey, aromatic yarrow and raspberry, or Santiago tarts seem just perfect to end a meal at Sanxenxo.

Galician cuisine, they say, is simple by nature thanks to the region's economy, which is largely dependent on fishing and farming. Whether it is the shellfish, empanadas, a kind of stuffed pastry, polbo á feira, a dish made of octopus, the cheese, queixo de tetilla, the Ribera de Duero and Albariño wines and orujo liquor or any of the other seafood and meat delicacies, you will be delighted by the earthy cuisine.

Taking this fare to an haute cuisine platform is Combarro, a resplendent place on Reina Mercedes in Madrid, where a stone frontage carved in traditional style, a modern bar, a dining area spread over two floors with several private dining rooms, antiques and paintings for decoration and ambient music create a chic atmosphere in which to enjoy food prepared with great care.

It took close to twenty-five years for the founder Manuel Domingues Limerez to establish his dream. He opened the first restaurant in 1973 and later on the second one in 1999. His son Diego Dominguez Vidal joined him recently and helped the venture further consolidate its popularity. Their commitment to taking customers on an exciting gastronomic journey while staying true to their roots of humble cooking utilizing excellent, fresh products has seen them win numerous awards.

The seafood is sourced from the north coast of Galicia and is displayed in a large salt water fish pond. Spider crabs and lobsters are among the creatures you can spot and select for a sumptuous meal.

Specialities from the rivers include oysters, shrimps, clams, crabs and barnacles. Seafood displays all the variety available along the long shoreline of the province with baked turbot, a European flatfish, on a bed of potatoes, octopus to 'feira', a trademark dish of that area, lamprey - a primitive elongated fish with jawless sucking mouth, prepared in the Ardo - an ancient Hispanic - style, adorning the menu.

Pork with grelos, a vegetable akin to broccoli, suckling lamb chops and partridge pie are on offer to those who prefer meat. Desserts are rich affairs with Santiago tart, containing an almond and quince filling, yoghurt mousse in honey and filloas - large pancakes - with cream and eggs.

The wine list has interesting bottles from France and Spain and the bar provides a grazing menu.  

What happens when you put together an impeccably prepared meal along with a hugely entertaining theatrical opera? It's not an unlikely concept because at El Cafe de la Opera, they have been making a success out of it from the past decade and more. Located opposite the Teatro Real, the magnificent setting is not out of place and guests can enjoy the flavoursome food at this iconic restaurant as they settle down to a night of fun and musical enjoyment.

The atmosphere strikes a delicate balance between trendy chic and old world elegance but nevertheless, gets it right with the linen covered tables, wooden floors, exquisite place settings and a gleaming grand piano. The waiting staff are excellent not just in their service, but also in providing burst of song to diners when the spirit takes them.

Dining at the El Cafe de la Opera is an exciting experience because it is a treat not just for the taste buds but a dramatic overload for all the senses. The ambience is perfectly in tune with what customers love, and at dinner time, there?s a wonderful selection of arias, duets, quartets and romances with well known pieces that resonate in the air, long after the performance has culminated.

The international menu brings a variety of tasty dishes under one roof and there are different fixed menus based upon what will be performed musically that night. From the à la carte menu however, the ceviche of salmon with emulsion of corn and tomato chutney is a great choice for starter, but there are other delicious options too, such as the Iberian ham croquettes, foie gras terrine with fig salad and honey vinaigrette and steak tartare with toasted bread.

Vegetarians will undoubtedly rejoice in the risotto pumpkin with green asparagus or penne pasta with wild mushrooms, Parmesan cheese and truffle oil. If healthy food is a top priority, then the salads will appeal, particularly the seasonal vegetables in their own juice. If you prefer fish, then the corvine crispy spinach with purple potatoes and clam emulsion could become a firm favourite.

But meat prevails as with anywhere else with the rack of lamb with ratatouille, rösti potatoes, juice and liquorice mint or the Magret duck roast with creamy smoked bacon. There's also the fillet of beef with whiskey sauce and roasted peppers for those with hearty appetites whilst the desserts on offer can easily steal the show with their rich flavours and textures. Note for instance the chocolate fondant with passion fruit or the cheese and pear tart with coffee ice cream and calvados. There's an extensive wine list, a selection that does great justice to your meal by complementing it perfectly and there's a range of ports and other spirits too.

With the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in full sway, El Cangrejo Loco was established as a restaurant to serve distinguished guests and eminent personages who visited the port and city for the games. Today, many years after that, El Cangrejo Loco, or The Crazy Crab, has emerged as a favoured dining destination for those people who want to enjoy delicious seafood with breathtaking views of the marina and the sea.

Exceptional quality and exquisite service are the keywords that describe this restaurant aptly and popular seating options include the terraces that offer wide glimpses of the azure sea. With the perennial good weather around, customers can enjoy a sunny lunch in winter or sit down to a moonlit night in more sultry months.

The freshness of the food is instrumental in making the restaurant a phenomenal success, and everything is prepared with great care. Hand crafted dishes show the passion and commitment of the chefs in creating an experience that is simply sublime.

Starters are divided into hot and cold and amongst the latter, there is salt codfish carpaccio, a salad with dried salted meat and pears or Iberico cured ham. But if you relish something warm, then the seafood croquettes will be the ideal choice, alongside butter dipped squid rings and mussels with fisherman sauce.

For the main event, there's a famous dish from Aranda del Duero, roast baby lamb, although the veal entrecote in green pepper sauce is just as delicious. If nothing but fish will satisfy you, then do try the grilled salmon or the monkfish with mushrooms and clams. Lobster with garlic and chilli or the crayfish prepared Ferrol style are excellent options but if you wanted to stay traditional try the paella parellada.

To finish, there's the Catalan caramelized custard cream or a homemade apple puff pastry. If you prefer fruity ways to end your meal, then you could opt for seasonal fruits drizzled with Macedonian orange juice.

If you enjoy drinking avidly or even if you're just interested in the wines that a restaurant has to offer, you will be impressed with the large temperature controlled cellar that brings more than 500 Spanish choices, champagnes and spirits.

Movie is a high end concept based restaurant in Barcelona, a chic and very trendy destination for those who are fond of good food, music and movies, not necessarily in the same order. The décor is plush and extravagant and yet the atmosphere strives successfully to be informal and friendly, and you are likely to spot many guests lingering over a glass of wine and a bowl of tasty snacks as they sit back and relax.

All eyes are drawn intently towards the huge screen where movies and clips are played by resident VJs who occupy a separate platform. But it is unlike any cinema hall you may have been to, because the entire experience is quite like a home theatre at the house of a friend. A very well to do friend, of course! On top of all this, Movie is a fantastic restaurant if you want to impress business associates or even simply if you want to indulge in your love of films.

So when it comes to food, you will find that, like some of the films, the menu is fairly international, featuring dishes such as focaccia with duck ham, black olives and mozzarella, sausage and bacon skewers and hot Mexican taco with chicken, vegetables and cheese, served with a sweet and sour sauce. Mixed salad leaves atop a pea puree and seafood cocktail is highly appealing for salad lovers, while the black pasta with calamari and romesco sauce is perfect if pastas are your thing.

More elaborate main courses follow, with the likes of wok fried beef with sun dried tomatoes, potato and yucca or chicken nuggets coated with peanuts and mayonnaise mousse. For those who favour unusualness in their dishes, the chicken filled with pureed mango and flavoured with black beer, shitake mushrooms and carrots could appeal.

While some might be satisfied with snacks and other finger food, there are others who feel that a full course meal is more to their taste,  requiring a look at the dessert menu where your sweet tooth will be gratified to learn of the tiramisu with exploding chocolate and caramel pop rocks. Profiteroles and a warm chocolate fondant ice cream complete the list and gain full marks for hitting the right spots with ease.

The wine list is a compilation befitting to this modern restaurant, with international choices playing alongside traditional selections that are closer to home. Come evening and the lounge beckons with the numerous exciting cocktails on offer along with delicious bar food. From 7 pm until late, the avid party goers are likely to be sipping on mojitos and enjoying an interesting movie, to the point where few would wish to resist the comforts of Movie Restaurant and head out to greener pastures.

It doesn't take too much effort to guess what the mainstay of The Lobster House would be, so if you're passionate about seafood, lobsters in particular, this Barcelona restaurant gives you your money's worth. Located close to the Diagonal metro, and situated in the heart of the Eixample district, this airy restaurant follows a Mediterranean theme in the food as well as décor.

Diners are pleasantly surprised with the ambience which is cool and elegant with white napery, large windows, dark furniture and potted plants, while the warmth exuded by the service enhances the dining experience. The bar is also a cosy spot for pre-dinner drinks and The Lobster House is a perfect place if you want to host an ebullient party for friends, with the private room offering space and atmosphere.

Five different fixed price menus ease the dilemma regarding choices, and these include an aperitif with first and second courses, wine and dessert. While this could prove to be of great value, there's also the à la carte if you prefer to do the choosing on your own.

Fresh salads topped with tuna fish and olives or tomato and mozzarella with avocado are just right for a light and tasty beginning. Other starters that rouse the appetite could include the Andalusian style cuttlefish, king prawns with Maldon salt or fisherman's paella.

While lobster is a huge favourite, grilled or steamed, there are other dishes for fish lovers too, such as the sliced grilled hake, baked loin of cod with cream of escalivada or fillets of sea bass cooked in the Santurce fashion. More hearty dishes follow, with meats cooked over holm oak charcoal, and you could try the imperial lamb ribs or the stewed shoulder of lamb with the steaks and burgers as excellent alternatives.

The best way to end such a leisurely meal would be with something sweet, so do save some space for the Catalan custard with burnt brown sugar or the warm chocolate coulant. Fruity desserts such as the frozen mandarin mousse with citric coulis should do the trick if you're not overly fond of rich sweets.

The wine selection is as befits a restaurant of their scale, extensive and indulgent and yet reasonably priced.