I had to be in an area of Tuscany called Lunigiana recently and decided to stay the night in the port city of La Spezia, nearby. In fact it’s not in Tuscany but Liguria. I was arriving late on Saturday afternoon and would leave early on Sunday morning and hadn’t made any arrangements for eating. The accommodation I’d booked was well away from the seafront and in fact was in a fairly dull backstreet. There was no one there when we arrived so it was necessary to wait until someone could come to let us in. It was then that we noticed a sign indicating an eatery just two doors away (Osteria della Corte). I wasn’t hopeful, but it had been a busy day and I didn’t have much enthusiasm for traipsing around the streets looking for somewhere to eat later, nor indeed could I be bothered with doing any research on-line. Somewhere to eat and then get quickly back for a sleep seemed not a bad idea.
On enquiry, it seemed the restaurant was fully booked for dinner but with a little bit of persuasion and the offer to come late, the possibility of a table for two but, “not before 9.30 pm” materialised. In the meantime a quick look at Trip Advisor and the Michelin Red Guide raised expectations well beyond what was indicated by the location or the exterior of the restaurant.
The initial welcome was from a young waiter who greeted us with a pleasant smile and showed us to our table. The smells from the small kitchen were enticing.
We asked immediately for a bottle of sparkling water while we perused the menu. The waiter meanwhile busied himself reducing the table setting from a table for four to the needs of two diners.
The menu was very interesting and one where I really found it difficult to decide what to order. I wanted most of the things on offer! It was divided into Antipasti, Primi (pasta dishes) Il mare (fish and seafood) and La terra (meat, snails, liver and a vegetarian dish). The dining room was intimate and well decorated with shelves bearing cookery books and a vast array of bottles of wine. There was a sideboard with spare sparkling wine glasses in various shapes and sizes next to bottles of delicious looking dessert wines.
With the table re-set for two and our choices made, we wondered what had happened to the water. The tiniest of gestures to the waiter produced a fulsome apology, followed immediately by the required beverage. I’ve never had a problem with things going wrong in restaurants, it’s normal; the main issue is how quickly, to what extent and with what attitude things are put right.
With the order taken, wine chosen (something local, red, well priced and very acceptable) we began to observe the other diners and in particular the dishes they were being served. Everything looked amazing and the sight of such good looking food made me want to change my own order a dozen times.
I stuck to my guns though and soon three beautifully caramelised scallops (Capesante) on a courgette and thyme cream (ordered from the Antipasti list) arrived. They were very simple, succulent and perfectly cooked.
My next dish was from the meat section of the menu, Taglio di maialino di Cinta senese con patate (suckling pig with potatoes). Cinta di senese, I now know, is a particular breed of pig from the province of Siena and in this case was served it chunks topped by sautéd potato slices. The meat was beautifully pink in the middle but with equally delicious crunchy bits around the outside, clearly cooked with careful attention. For my taste the potatoes were a little dry and the meat a little over salted but it tasted properly of meat and with the sort of texture it’s impossible to achieve with the uber fashionable sous-vide method of cooking.
For pudding I had a confection of frozen cream (parfait) with Sichuan pepper, coconut, and liquorice sauce which was served with a glass of perfectly matched Passito – faultless!
The front of house staff here (two guys) were very keen to hear feedback and and not at all defensive in the face of what I told them about the over-salting of the meat. They genuinely seemed interested in what we thought and discretely and generously did what they could to put things right – even though we were at pains to point out that we were not complaining. In any case what minor grumbles I had didn’t stop me scoffing the lot!
I have a number of pet hates when it comes to service in restaurants, one is when waiters who haven’t kept your glass topped up (in any case I can manage that myself) rush to grab the bottle from your hand when you try to help yourself (that wasn’t the case here by the way) and the other is the wearing of gloves by waiting staff. Here, white gloves were donned whenever the guys brought cutlery or glasses to the table. Sure it meant everything was gleaming but in my view it’s a tad fussy.
Prices for starters and pasta are around €15, fish mains about €20 and meat a little bit more with deserts coming in at around €7. Whatever the cost they represent very good value for money.
Here is a restaurant that has worked out exactly what it is about and strives to deliver high standards of cooking and service in a very pleasing environment. Inevitably there are occasional errors but they acknowledge them and put them right without question. That’s a very big plus point in my book.
The staff speak good English and Silvia, the chef, also runs cookery courses. I will return, not only because of their food but because of their attitude.
My Kind of Food 