Quita Penas

The pleasure of the authentic

The pa amb oli of QuitaPenas is essentially so spectacular because, in spite of being a quite simple and well-known dish, it enjoys a familiarity in which we find everything that may be needed at lunchtime in Valldemossa.

Author: Aina Coll

Photographer: Jaume Oliver

Authentic Italian pizza. Authentic Mexican tacos. Authentic Japanese sushi. The adjective authentic has become so repetitive in the marketing vocabulary of gastronomy that we longer know whether to be suspicious of so much authenticity as a common claim. However, and for a reason, we all end up looking for the same thing: we like what remains unchanged, what tastes just as it always had, what smells of aromas we can recognize. That's the way we are.

In Valldemossa we can find a restaurant that is also like this, that respectfully investigates the real roots and from them builds its concept that is based on the essential and exquisite product of this island. It is called Quitapenas and is located inside an authentic Mallorcan house dated back more than two hundred years and that was, in its day, an authentic grocery store in an authentic village of the Serra de Tramuntana history.

In order to check it out, on a weekday lunchtime, we went to the town that was home to George Sand and Chopin and, after a non mandatory but always appetizing stroll through the gardens of La Cartuja, we entered the premises, which occupies the first floor of number 4 Carrer Vell.

Sobrasadas, jams, wines and olive oils, all produced, of course, on the island, fill a gourmet corner stamped with a zero kilometer label. We take a look at the unexpected little grocery store and we get ready to cross the restaurant, a route that takes us through different rooms that preserve the decoration and idiosyncrasy of a Mallorcan house of yesteryear, until we finally reach an indoor courtyard. There, as if finding a hiding space, a beautiful stone floor shelters wooden tables and chairs -most of them, by this time, already occupied by residents and travelers-.

Quitapenas culinary offer par excellence  is the pa amb oli. An extremely authentic dish from the Mallorcan recipe book. Ready to enjoy the authentic experience, we order a variat de pa amb oli, which is presented before our eyes as a succulent feast served carefully on a wooden board: four slices of bread with camaiot, fuet, sobrassada with dried figs and honey and, to top it off, a slice of mahonese cheese happen to suddenly awaken our appetite.

The brew is provided by a local classic, the pinya de Puig, and the craft beer from some new friends we visited this summer, the sineuers Món. Dessert rounds off the experience: a homemade egg flan with chocolate shavings that melt in our mouths.

The pa amb oli of Quitapenas is essentially spectacular because, despite being a simple and well-known dish, it enjoys a familiarity in which we find everything that anyone may need at noon if in Valldemossa: a pleasant atmosphere, a beautiful place and a carefully taken care of and very tasty proposal. It is the pleasure of the simple. The pleasure of the genuinely authentic. Who needs more?