Sfogliatella

So what treat did Mario have in store for us last night? As we ended our meal, feeling fair stuffed, a plate arrived with 2 sfogliatella accompanied by 2 more glasses of limoncello. What is sfogliatella? It's puff pastry, half-moon shape. It's served hot, freshly baked. It's filled with ricotta cheese, candied fruit, predominately lemon, & semolina. The fruit is so finely cut that it is more of a powder, a flavouring, than anything you can bite into. I was surprised by how enjoyable it was. In England I can't say much for ricotta cheese. I find it bland beyond words & with an unpleasant texture to boot. But this was something else.

We're coming to the conclusion that the food often surprises us. The proscuittio & salami we keep getting is so moist, quite fatty, not at all like the dried out stuff you usually get in England. Clearly something gets lost en route or we Brits just get the poor stuff.

As I say, things are different. Our sole meuniere came as a piece of fish (not sole as we know it), poached in a broth, topped with various veg. Last night's pizza, ham & sweetcorn, came with no tomato on it. If we'd realised we would have got a separate side plate of tomatoes. The breakfast croissants are filled with a very sweet jam - to be avoided unless you have a very sweet tooth - a bit much for us. Even the spag bol doesn't look like anything that passes for that name in England.

We also suspect these little culinary gifts are not just from Mario. There's a definite conspiracy going on. You can see the whispers & nudges, the anxious looks as we bite in, among the waiters & other kitchen staff. We get asked if it was good by them all. When we go, they all line up for thanks from us, & to wish us goodnight. We seem to have to do a lot of handshaking, too, before we're allowed out of the place. So far Mario is the only one to feel confident enough to kiss my hand, though. Good people as we've said.