Having had fun at the Mercado Central, we dawdled in the general direction of the Corte Ingles department store on the edge of the old town. Skirting the crowds starting to gather for the daily 2pm Mascleta firecracker display, we came across La Utielana on a small street off Calle Poeta Querol. We got there just as the firecrackers started a few blocks away, and we could hear the muffled bangs from our table.
La Utielana was already buzzing when we arrived. Ten minutes later (after the end of the Mascleta), there was a queue of people waiting for tables. We felt pleased with ourselves and settled in for a fun, good-value lunch experience. We started with a shared plate of marinated vegetables – mainly beans, with some artichokes and big capers lurking among them. I enjoyed that and followed it with a prawn tortilla. This tortilla was thin and tasty – unlike the thicker (but also delicious) quiche-like variety I tried at the Meson Elisa restaurant around the corner (see separate journal entry). For her main course, Tina went for the arroz abanda. This was mainly yellow paella rice, with a token prawn in the middle. The rice was firm and slightly burned, and it was delicious. Highly recommended.
For dessert, Tina tucked into a fresh pineapple slice. This looked delicious and a much better choice than my cream pie with a topping of lemon flavouring. La Utielana does not serve coffee, but bubbly water did fine to end off the meal.
For its decor, La Utielana has a couple of interesting murals – painted in 1953 and including a beautiful and slightly surreal horse – and plenty of blue-and-white wall tiles. There are about 10 tables, the tablecloths are paper, and the service was friendly and (in our case) patient. With no English being spoken, we got by with our pidgin Italian and enjoyed ourselves very much.
La Utielana does not take AMEX. It does take VISA, although the machine did not accept any of our array of VISA cards. Leaving Tina as a hostage, I found a bank machine down the street and paid our bill with cash. Our total bill (including a beer) came to 19€. We thought that this was a very good value.
In our experience, La Utielana is definitely worth seeking out. Its entrance is through a small courtyard off the street, and it appears that its clientele is local and regular. It was a great place to enjoy a bustling, noisy weekday afternoon lunch.