Eating out in Italy

I knew before I arrived in Italy that my dining-out choices were going to be limited. I wasn't too worried, as my budget doesn't really stretch to lots of expensive meals anyway. But there have been a few memorable meals in the last couple of weeks.

Starting with the drinks - espresso! At home, I drink soy lattes, but soy milk isn't very big over here, so I've happily been taking advantage of the cheaper espresso option everywhere. As one friend joked - I like my coffee like my heart - bitter & black :-)

Vino - this is the house white & red from a small place we visited on our first night in Palermo. It was local & very nice. I think the small carafe cost about 5 euro.

Here we have the more refined glass of local vino bianco, watching the sun go down over the Amalfi Coast from Vivaro wine bar in Praiano. The owner, Gennaro, is very lovely, happy to chat & wouldn't let me pay for the wine. Although I think I accidentally promised to go dancing with him on Friday night...

Granita is every in Sicily, and there is no better way to cool down. I obsessively sought it out everywhere we went. Here is our first - fragola (strawberry) & limone.

Limone & menta (mint). The mint syrup in this one was too sickly sweet by the end.

This is caffe - tasted like it was made with real espresso, rather than syrup. Very strong, but it hit the spot.

Because I can't eat the pasta here (it's all fresh & made with egg), I have been eating a lot of pizza. It's usually the cheapest thing on the menu too - usually 3-5 euro for a whole pizza.

Australian pizza can never live up to the Italian stuff. I think the secret is in the tomatoes - all the sauce is made fresh each day.

This is from a small restaurant in Palermo & was listed as Boscaiola - mushrooms & tomato.

This is from a small takeaway in Agrigento - I can't remember the name but it was packed with spinach, rocket, tomatoes, olives & mushrooms. I had to get this one 'senza formaggio', but it made no difference to the flavour.

This is probably my favourite so far - a potato pizza (senza formaggio) from a tiny place in Catania. The potato pizza in Sicily (and maybe all over Italy?) is made with chips, rather than slices of potato. At first I thought it was strange, but now I'm totally sold on the idea - fried food on top of pizza is sooo good!

One thing I found out about before I arrived in Sicily was a local snack called 'Panelle' - chickpea fritters. 'Pane e panelle' (literally, bread with fritters) is a street snack - though we didn't see it served everywhere we visited. These little pockets of deliciousness are simply chickpea flour, salt, pepper, oil & water, all deep fried to perfection & served with a squeeze of lemon. I can't wait to get home & try the recipe myself.

The best meal I have had so far was at a great bar called Re di Bastoni in Taormina. This is the vegetable platter from the antipasto menu. So much food! On the side was a fresh garden salad of lettuce, tomatoes & corn. Then there was artichokes, sundried tomatoes, eggplant & olives. The only downside were the little tomatoes, which I thought were stuffed with breadcrumbs. Unfortunately they were stuffed with some kind of fish. When I bit into one, I thought I was going to throw up. I haven't eaten meat, even by accident, for 13 years, so I was a little upset. I don't blame the bar though - I should have asked what everything was. To top off that huge platter they also gave me a basket of bread! It was a wonderful meal, washed down by a few cold beers & accompanied by a chat with the lovely bar staff Massimo & Paolo. Great evening all round.

Finally, of course there are many things I can't eat. Mostly, it doesn't bother me. But some things look so yummy, like these pretty marzipan fruits which you see all over Sicily.

And this entire cupboard of sweet pastries in Erice. Drool...

I know there are a few vegan-friendly places in Rome, including at least one proper restaurant, so stay tuned for more news from this vegan in Italy!