BEHIND THE BAMBOO: A FEAST FOR ALL SENSES

ong before I moved to Ibiza, I used to religiously visit the island with my friends every summer. And as our priorities for this much-longed-for annual pilgrimage to the White Isle began to include gastronomy, an unofficial – yet undeniable – list of favourite dining destinations was shaped by our desire for good food, a little dash of glamour and that inimitable Ibiza ambience.

For me, this list was topped – year after year – by Bambuddha Ibiza.

Opening its doors in 1999, by the time we first visited circa 2009 – 2010 this iconic restaurant was already well established, its reputation preceding it far beyond the island’s shores. Shrouded by towering, thick bamboo walls, upon entering the evocative village-like space, I was awe-struck. Despite having lived in London for many years at this point, I quite simply had never encountered a place so sensuous and full of intrigue.

From the majestic wooden pagoda-style roof that covers the main dining space – a large, sparkling chandelier floating above the tables juxtaposed against the simplicity of the structure – to the hidden corners filled with stone sculptures gathered from different corners of the world, and naughty little details surprising you at every turn if you catch them, Bambuddha has an air of sultry mysticism that should be near impossible to recreate.

It may sound like I’m exaggerating, but I swear that this moment was one of the final pieces of evidence I needed to decide that Ibiza was infinitely cooler than anywhere else in the world, and I must move there at one point. It would only take me another six years or so, but here we are…