The best ravioli in Amsterdam
There’s no shortage of places to eat perfect wood-fired pizzas, but what about Italy’s other pride and joy: pasta? There are plenty of places where you can order a delicious plate of pasta, but it’s never quite like it is in Italy. Except at Salvatorica.
Throughout my childhood, we went on holiday to Italy every year, and I never found the pasta I ate there in Amsterdam. Spaghetteria is absolutely delicious, but it still doesn’t remind me of Italian summers. If you’re looking for something a little more upscale, there’s Toscanini: wonderfully delicious, but no, not like the pasta you buy for a few euros in an Italian piazza. You can get that a few hundred metres further on at Salvatorica.
Rolling pasta live
At first glance, it doesn’t look like the most atmospheric restaurant. On the left is the kitchen, which looks rather thrown together. They don’t bother with mood lighting, because chef Roberto Mura is making fresh pasta live while you eat. That’s a little more difficult by candlelight. Seated at a large bench, he rolls and cuts the pasta right in front of you. In the kitchen, a huge pan of water is constantly bubbling away on the stove, along with a few sauces. As soon as you place your order, it’s finished in the kitchen, and within no time you’re the happiest person on earth.
Family recipes
Roberto was born in Sardinia and makes pasta according to family recipes he learned from his mother, Salvatorica. He cooks with seasonal ingredients, sourcing as much as possible himself from Sardinia. The pasta is exactly as it should be: the dough is silky smooth and the sauce deceptively simple, but as soon as you take a bite, you feel transported to Italy.
Handwritten menu
The handwritten menu always features around ten pastas, some of which are also suitable for takeaway. The ravioli with ricotta and lemon is a favourite, as are the gnocchi with artichoke and bottarga. But you may well miss out on those if artichokes aren’t in season. Fortunately, there’s always plenty of other choice. A few simple starters (melanzane alla parmigiana, burrata or caprese) and tiramisu for dessert. Sometimes happiness really can be that simple.
No alcohol
You really have to get your happiness from the food here, because alcohol isn’t sold. Oh, and there isn’t a toilet either. So don’t come here if you’re in the mood for a fancy night out. At Salvatorica, you come for the food. That doesn’t mean the atmosphere isn’t ultra-Italian, though. Roberto rolls, cuts and folds the pasta, while the one-person front-of-house team finishes it in the kitchen and places it on your table. I can easily entertain myself for hours by gazing into the kitchen. Still missing the alcohol (or the toilet)? After your meal, you can simply walk on to one of the many cafés in the Jordaan.
Salvatorica
Lijnbaansgracht 71
Amsterdam
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