Meet Michela and Marco, owners, and Gino, master chef of Ciambra, a two-month old seafood restaurant in the oldest part of Monreale.
©Blogginginitaly.com
Coming to Sicily, we had expected that finding fresh seafood would be easy. But not so true for Monreale, which is on a hill overlooking Palermo and not adjacent to the sea. And then as luck would have it, we learned of a recently opened restaurant and met its owners. We had two nights left and ate at Ciambra both nights. Besides, for seafood lovers, their sign says it all.
©Blogginginitaly.com
The decor of the restaurant is lovely with great attention to detail including the flowers, table settings, artwork, etc.
©Blogginginitaly.com
But it’s the food that brings one back to Ciambra, and for good reason. Len said this might be some of the best seafood we have ever eaten. I agree.
©Blogginginitaly.com
After we were seated, we were presented with fresh sardines, mixed with scallions and red peppercorns, on grilled toast. At home, I won’t touch a sardine, but I happily ate these.
©Blogginginitaly.com
We asked Marco to select a bottle of wine for us from their large selection.
©Blogginginitaly.com
For our appetizer, we ordered the seafood caponata consisting of fresh swordfish, eggplant, celery, tomatoes, onions and olives. Wonderfully seasoned.
©Blogginginitaly.com
Then for Primo, we had linguine con vongole, one of the best we have ever eaten!
©Blogginginitaly.com
For secondo, we chose sea bass on a bed of pureed potatoes and a vegetable torte. Delectable.
blogginginitaly.com
blogginginitaly.com
Too full for dessert, we made a reservation for the following evening, when we repeated the linguine con vongole and then chose grilled swordfish and red gamberetti for dinner. Perfect.
blogginginitaly.com
Although they were not on the menu, we asked for roasted potatoes. If only my Dad could have tasted these! Amazing, and I have a feeling Chef Gino made them up just for us.
blogginginitaly.com
Since it was our last night, we also shared a tiramisu for dessert. Luscious.
blogginginitaly.com
What an unexpected find in a small town overlooking Palermo, but we are so very happy we did.
Our compliments to Chef Gino, and our very best wishes to Michela and Marco for a hundred years of success in both your restaurant and your soon to be married life together!
I nostri complimenti allo Chef Gino, ed i nostri migliori auguri a Michela e Marco per un centinaio di anni di successo sia il vostro ristorante e la vostra vita presto per sposarsi insieme!
And finally, given that we ate the linguine con vongole twice, I think I’ll leave you with another picture…if only I could share the taste and aroma! Heavenly.
blogginginitaly.com
Ciao,
Judy and Len
Blogging In Italy 