This restaurant was recommended to me by friends in the Italian community in Edinburgh.
When Italians talk about their food, they link an appreciation of nature and produce to that of tradition and craft. Put the two together and the result is unadulterated delicious dishes such as those featured on the menu at this Italian restaurant in Colinton.
I start with Porchetta which has frazzled skin and fennel-infused juicy flesh on a sharp apple jus. It reminds me of the porchetta me and Mr Bite once bought at a street stall in Sardinia. Simone said that her charred Octopus is smoky with crispy skin and a soft meaty texture. It comes with an Aubergine Puree.
Simone’s main course Spaghettoni Gamberoni e Pistacchio is made with creamy pistachio pesto and mega fresh king prawns. She falls head over heels for the pesto. I have Panciotti di Mare, fresh pasta stuffed with king prawn and scallop served with red prawns, garlic, chilli, datterino tomatoes and crispy Parma ham. It is a beautiful plate of food with just the right balance of flavours and every item is cooked expertly. I love my glass of Chiaro di Stelle Rosato which the list describes as a blend of Sardinian grapes that “opens up with aromas of rose, wild berry and a whiff of Mediterranean scrub.” It is a fine accompaniment to both the pork and the pasta.
We are fit for bursting but I insist we taste desserts. Simone’s Cannolo Siciliano has a crispy outer shell and what she describes as “a creamy, dreamy soft filling and pistachio granola that tastes like heaven in every bite”. I make headway on a Millefoglie, layers of puff pastry filled with Italian patisserie cream, sweet fresh raspberries & sharp raspberry coulis. My favourite type of dessert.
Produce is at the very heart of Osteria Dei Sapori you can really feel the ‘amore’ for the food and hospitality. As we leave the restaurant so are many other tables all issuing compliments as they go.
We leave feeling secretly smug that we have found one of the finest Italian restaurants in Edinburgh.
Photos: Simone Hilliard
