First Dinner in Sestri Levante

Just a quick note to ourselves - warning text only - well I added two pictures of the view from the restaurant at the end. 

We decided to dump our phones and watches and enjoy a slow dinner at Olimpo, the high-end restaurant in our hotel (Vis a Vis). We reserved an 8:00 table with the front desk and the gentlemen behind the counter noted “nice” table.  Well, we had a view of all of Sestri Levanti. The sun popped out from behind the clouds just in time and we got to watch the sunset over the water and hills to the East. We’ve got some photos of the view we took the next day that I’ll post.  Thanks to the front desk guy - this was a beautiful setting.

The food:

They started us off with a glass of nice Prosecco and a small amuse bouche (a cream filled whole grain tart with a bit of tuna on top).  I was not impressed with the tart (the pastry could have been much lighter which would have enhanced the whole thing) but Fran liked it.

We ordered a bottle of Vermentino Etichetta Nera Bosoni (2022) and a bottle of still water. The wine is heavier and fruitier than a Sauvignon Blanc but not as heavy or fruity as a Chardonnay. I’ve got a few bottles in the cellar that I’ll need to try. Would go great with Salmon.

We shared a starter and a main:

Grilled Octopus (Polpo) - This was good and properly cooked but nothing particularly inventive about the flavors or presentation. 

Chickpea mini gnocchi with pesto on a bed of a rustic mashed potato (not as heavy as it sounds - just a few dabs of potato). This was amazing and I’ll try and recreate this at home. Being chickpea flour it didn’t seem to impact me much. Presentation was simple with a garnish of basil in the middle. 

The meal was accompanied by an assortment of breads and olive oil. Fran likes to add some balsamic to the mix sometimes (we didn’t last night) but the olive oil was so sweet it really didn’t need it.

For our secondi’s:

Fran ordered Prawns from Santa Margherita cooked with Orange - she said they were buttery and perfectly cooked (and orangey - if that’s a thing).

I had Turbot (my first time) and OMG this is the best fish I’ve ever eaten. Light and buttery it was accompanied by a grilled polpo tentacle, a drizzle of pea sauce, and a small potato cake. Turbot is now my favorite fish.

For dessert we ordered a selection of local cheeses and, at the waiters recommendation, a couple of glasses of Madeira. The cheese came with grilled red onions, semi-dried oranges, and a honey with truffle. We both agreed the honey with truffle was overpowering and would have preferred a slightly sweeter dessert wine but the local fresh and aged cheeses were delicious.

The service was attentive but not smothering, they get high marks for this. Sometimes, even in Europe, service at a fancy restaurant can be stifling.

The two and a half hour meal seemed to fly by. 

Overall I give the meal a 8.5 or 9 out of 10. High praise from me.  For anyone other than Fran and I reading this: it’s definitely worth a splurge (it ended up costing around $200).

The view from our table at the Olimpo restaurant - not the night of dinner