Delicatessen, Ragusa - Review

Thanks to my lovely friends living in Ragusa, I recently discovered this fabulous little gem of a place.

Half-deli, half-canteen style eatery, Delicatessen is a great place to stop for a bite to eat, day or night. You can enjoy one of the great freshly made sandwiches which offer plethora of fillings on a variety of breads or one of the homemade hot dishes from the kitchen, which includes pastas and soups with fresh, seasonal vegetables. There is a lot on offer here for vegetarians and vegans, with clear indications of which dishes are suitable, something which is still rather unusual in Sicily.

The decor is very modern and stylish, you could be forgiven for thinking this place might be better suited in one of Barcelona's fashionable districts or Manchester's Northern Quarter and so on.

Yesterday, my friend Emily and I popped in for a spot of lunch.

We both opted for sandwiches. Mine was mackerel with lettuce and black pepper while Emily went for prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato and pesto. Both huge sandwiches arrived after a little while and we delved in with eager anticipation (and significant hunger). The mackerel was a delight, really fresh tasting and beautifully seasoned. Emily thoroughly enjoyed hers and despite us both having started to feel quite full before finishing, we both made sure to finish every last bit in acknowledgement of such extreme tastiness.

(Pictured is Emily with her sandwich)

We have both had different sandwiches from here before and due to the high quality and wide variety on offer, we have challenged ourselves to try a different one each time.

The café offers a great selection of fresh juices. On this visit I went for a large glass of orange, carrot, celery and ginger which was revitalising as well as incredibly tasty. Emily had her usual glass of apple and pineapple, a favourite that never disappoints her.

Also on offer is a good range of local wines, ideal for evening visits.

You can also visit the deli where local cheeses, meats and fresh vegetables, along with a variety of specialist local produce is on offer.

The staff are incredibly friendly, though the service is true to the slow-food philosophy, so it is best not to go when you are in a hurry, as I have previously learnt from experience.

Slow service aside, it really is a treasure of a find, great food, great atmosphere and great times.

Delicatessen
Via Archimede 32-34, Ragusa

https://www.facebook.com/DelicatessenRagusa

La Bottega, Modica Bassa - A Fond Farewell

No review this weekend but rather a sad goodbye after hearing that one of my favourite places has closed for good.

I tried to make one of my (quite regular) visits to La Bottega in Modica Bassa about a month ago but found it to be closed. It is not unusual that at this time of year, some places close for a holiday but the third week of the continued closed shutters I did start to comment on what a long

holiday they were having and after a month it became something of a joke to think how long they would be on their break for. Due to La Bottega's constant popularity, it never crossed my mind that perhaps they had gone out of business but just a few days ago, I was told that they had indeed put the shutters down for good.

La Bottega was a little place that sold the most delightful sandwiches and salads, they served arguably the world's best chips and their local red wine in winter was always a welcome warming delight, while in summer I would often sit outside with a chilled, pleasant glass of white. the food was simple but always a delight.

All of this, along with the lovely staff and the reasonable prices, made La Bottega an extremely regular hang-out, especially for me and fellow ex-pats living in Modica. Many of us would finish work in the evening and so when we arrived back in Modica Bassa rarely would we want to go home to cook, so this would be the place where we would sit down to eat and to unwind after a hard day teaching, or working as an au pair and so on. It was a home from home, we could use the WIFI, sit long into the evening outdoors in the warmer months or enjoy the warmth from the open kitchen in the wintertime. It was always somewhere that felt welcome, somewhere we felt comfortable.

So I write this fond farewell not just from me but also from the two Lauras, from Aminah, Katy, Nadine, Lucy, Natasha, Mike and many others who benefitted from this lovely little place.

La Bottega - you shall be sadly missed!