Hotspot: Frizzanteria is your new favorite Italian restaurant in Amsterdam
O amore! A new Italian restaurant has opened in Amsterdam and it is everything you could hope for and more. Because Frizzanteria is all about irresistible bubbles and truly authentic Italian food in a very, very lovely place.
Upon arrival
Frizzanteria, in Amsterdam-Zuid, exudes Italy. The moment you step over the threshold, the wonderful Italian dolce vita feeling descends upon you. The restaurant is spacious, with the impressive bar immediately greeting you upon entry (also check out the side of the beautiful bar, made from Italian wine barrels) and plenty of tables for lunch or dinner as a couple or with a larger group. Another nice touch: the higher tables. Outside, there is a large terrace with (unfortunately, it is still difficult to imagine right now…) sunshine all day long!
Alcohol-free aperitivo
Everything on the menu, from bread to drinks, is Italian and imported by the owners themselves wherever possible. We start at the bar with a delicious alcohol-free aperitivo: San Pellegrino Bitter with Sicilian blood orange. With its fresh, subtly bitter flavor, it is essential in every Italian bar!
Italian bubbles
The idea for Frizzanteria arose when owners Jokke Willemse & Paola Manfre came across Tenuta la Ratta while traveling through the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna (known for Parmesan cheese, Parma ham and balsamic vinegar), a beautiful vineyard where twelve different sparkling wines are produced. They tasted everything, from red to white and from dry to sweet, and fell instantly in love. ‘Incredible sparkling wine that pairs wonderfully with food! What if we brought this to Amsterdam…’ And so they did.
Emilia-Romagna is known for its slightly sweet, red sparkling lambrusco. In short: red wine with bubbles. Unfortunately for me, it is often a rough ride too… The cheerful, lively bubbles you drink here are a completely different story! They come from the western part of Emilia-Romagna: Colli Piacentini.
From cheerfully lightly sparkling to serious champagne look-alike
Do you like lightly sparkling wine, or bubbles like champagne? You are in the right place! The wine list features various kinds of sparkling wine. Frizzante is lightly bubbly; it is a semi-sparkling wine. This is because the pressure in a frizzante is very low (1 to 2.5 bar). A spumante (the Italian word for sparkling wine) has much more fizz, like cava or champagne (3 to 6 bar). A so-called ‘metodo classico’ is made exactly like champagne—call it the more serious stuff—and that is also on the menu here.
What do you eat with it?
And because those mood-lifting bubbles pair so well with Italian food, that is exactly what they do here. The varied sparkling wines are paired with stuzzicando, antipasti to share, and the most delicious zuppe, primi e secondi. Let me start at the beginning…
Heavenly hams
It is a real eye-catcher at the bar: the slicer, with a beautiful row of hams hanging above it, all imported by the restaurant themselves. Alongside the familiar Prosciutto di Parma, Salame and Bresaola, they also serve lesser-known hams here, such as Culatello and Culaccina. Soft as a baby’s bottom and incredible in flavor! Tip: go for the Degustazione Salumificio Rossi: for 18.50, you get a mix of four types to taste.
Don’t forget the cheese, either… Order the Degustazione formaggi, a heavenly mix of Gorgonzola, Taleggio and Parmesan.
The bread
A famous Italian saying goes è buono come il pane. In other words: someone is as good as bread. Not surprising, since good bread plays a very important role in Italian cuisine, and that is also the case here. Alongside the small black olives, marinated artichokes and sweet onions comes very good bread too: focaccia and somewhat sturdier white bread with thyme. Both breads are made especially for Frizzanteria and taste fantastic with the olive oil from Sicily. And then there is the ‘Torta fritta’, fried pasta bread…
Damn those balls!
All dishes are made according to old Italian family recipes with a modern twist. Paola: ‘we keep what is good, and add whatever makes it tastier.’ And that is how you end up tasting the best Italian meatballs of your life. The ‘polpette della Nonna’ are served five at a time, ranging from vegetarian and fish to rice and meat versions. I still dream about the ‘Originale di manzo’, made with ground beef, Mortadella and Parmesan. And for eight euros, you also get a generous portion, with Sugo di nonna, a secret sauce. But the polpette are delicious even without the sauce. The only downside: I will never dare say again that I make kick ass meatballs now that I have tasted these.
Pasta with smoked salmon fillet
Of course, wanting to take a picture of my plate of pasta first was completely outrageous. Because in Italy, ‘the guest waits for the pasta, not the pasta for the guest!’ When a plate of pasta is put in front of you, eat it immediately. The ‘Fettuccine al Nègrer con salmone’ is freshly made pasta with smoked salmon fillet. Very elegant and light, as it should be, because pasta is never the main course in Italy.
Juicy chicken in a Sardinian wine sauce
Next comes a delicious chicken dish: ‘Pollo alla vernaccia’; chicken breast with a light Sardinian wine sauce (‘vino vernaccia di Sardegna’) and sage. It is paired with a lightly sparkling red wine. For a moment I thought something had gone wrong—red wine, and bubbles at that, with chicken in white wine sauce?!—but it works! The wine is never overpowering, but rather restrained, and the combination is surprising. The side dish, ‘Romanesco freddo e picante’, is also very tasty: the broccoli-like vegetable with peperoncino and garlic is served cold rather than hot. Naturally, you can also choose one of the meat, fish or even vegan dishes. Everything looks equally divine!
Dolce
Naturally, we finish in Italian style with dolce. In this case, the house cake, or ‘Torta della nonna’. Forget sweet apple pie as you may know it, because this cake is not sweet and is therefore wonderfully easy to digest. And what a heavenly glass of bubbles comes with it! The Bonarda from Tenuta la Ratta contains only 7% alcohol, has a light blackcurrant flavor and sends us out the door skipping with joy.
Will we come back?
Absolutely! Preferably tonight. Because Frizzanteria is far from a standard Italian restaurant. It is a real asset to the city, where everything revolves around pure, genuine flavors and where you can eat and drink wonderfully in a very pleasant atmosphere, with friendly and passionate service. What a treat!
Frizzanteria opens on March 6, 2020. Opening hours: Monday 17:00 – 23:00, Tuesday closed, Wednesday 17:00 – 23:00, Thursday 17:00 – 00:00, Friday 12:00 – 01:00, Saturday 12:00 – 01:00, Sunday 12:00 – 23:00.
Frizzanteria
Valeriusstraat 128B, Amsterdam
Images: FavorFlav & BAMOS concepts
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