L'Isola dei Sapori

Vegetarian focaccia and sardines with toasted polenta. Best meal I’ve had in Italy so far.

We were drawn in by the good reviews, but left really disappointed. We ordered local dried fish and grilled salami, as the waiter described it. Both came with polenta and cost 17-18 euros each. It felt expensive, but we thought we’d give it a try. The salami dish looked like pieces of pork and was so salty it was inedible. The fish was also very salty, which we expected from the description, but not the meat. Both arrived on small plastic plates, which seemed odd for the price. We told the waitress, who was really nice and apologized, saying that was how the dishes were cooked. We didn’t argue and simply asked for them to be taken away. When we went inside to pay, I don’t speak Italian, but I think she asked someone in the kitchen whether we should be charged for the food we’d sent back without eating. He said yes, and she charged us for the drinks and food. I paid 43 euros for two small glasses of wine and the two dishes without complaining. I think a good owner would have offered a replacement or something else on the house to make up for it. This wasn’t a cheap place.

If salty food isn’t your thing, skip the fish. The local catch is sun-dried and salted, or maybe salted and then dried, I forget. The fish platters were delicious, with grilled polenta that was good, and the cured meat and cheese platter was to die for. It’s an unpretentious, honest place, and the food was very satisfying.

We had a memorable, delicious lunch at this quaint family-run restaurant, which serves local specialties like sun-dried sardines, polenta, salami, and cheese. Just be aware the dried fish can be salty and has an acquired taste.