Hotel Corallo

At the Corallo restaurant, the food really impressed us. The octopus starter is worth trying, and the margherita and initial appetizers were delicious too. We also had a great white wine, the fiano Nardò.

The food was good, though nothing out of the ordinary. The chef earns the three stars from me. Service felt pretty random, almost as if we'd been snubbed for not wearing Chanel or Gucci. Even with the expensive watch I had on, I wasn't sure what to make of it. Appearances seem to matter here. The two whole scampi were left for us to peel ourselves, and the hand wipes arrived only after the plates had been cleared. With my poncho and watch, I was left wondering whether I was expected to eat with my fingers while surrounded by people showing off their Gucci. The place looks fancy, but eating the dish neatly wasn't straightforward. There was also an older woman beside us giving water to her dog from a restaurant chair. Maybe the dog's name was Gucci or Prada. A baby was crying for much of the meal at the back, too. Quite an experience. The 2.5 euro coperto felt a bit Gucci-priced, though they did serve several kinds of bread, so I've seen worse for nearly the same price. I know it's the same dough they use for pizza, which is fine. If the watches on those wrists weren't fakes, someone's got to pay for them.

The antipasti tasting menu was really good, and the paccheri with pesto di pistacchi was mind-blowing. Great food and service.

We had a lovely lunch. Everything tasted fresh, and the staff were attentive and nice.