My Sardinia

A lot of things have been said about the magnificent sights and breathtaking views of Sardinia. Tourists from all over the world have gone to Sardinia only to find out that the Italian island located at the Mediterranean is better than advertised.

However, with all the positive feedback from vacationers who have visited the place, little has been mentioned about the hotels where the visitors stay in. Therefore, now is the time that one of the best and most beloved hotels in Sardina receives the praise it deserves: the Hotel-Ristorante Gallura located at Olbia, near Costa Smeralda.

What makes this ever popular restaurant different from the ritzy and glamorous cafés all over Sardinia is the chef. Never as a food enthusiast have I experienced such derring-do, flair, and such profundity in the meals and homemade dishes cooked and prepared by the incomparable Rita d’Enza. The chef definitely knows her stuff as she’s more than capable to serve you with the succulent Sardinian dishes just the way you ordered them. Her cooking is highlighted by a host of influences as seen from the wide variety of dishes offered in the menu.

The food obviously has a lot of flair into them, but this should not keep you from thinking that the greatness in the food lies in the appearance and presentation. However, Rita d’Enza goes beyond the convention and creates some of the most blissfully inviting dishes this side of the planet. Her secret is combining ingredients from the island and flavorings from all over the world, which add up to some of the most ridiculously delicious food you will ever partake in.

The dining experience in Hotel-Ristorante Gallura starts with a humble room that features a table in the center hosting forty bowls of house specialty and Sardinians dishes. While all the choices available and the strangeness of the meals might dissuade a casual diner from taking part in the glorious restaurant, I have documented some of the dishes that are going to blow your mind and make the proceeding much easier.

For starters, I ordered alghe di mare, a delightful seaweed appetizer with a taste of lemon and fried in batter. The obsession for friend stuff continues with Red cappelloti, white pentini, green anemone, all of which are mini sea creatures whose flavors and textures are retained within a layer of fried batter. For their main courses, the Gattuccio al cioccolato is a catfish dish cooked in pine nuts, vinegar, raisins, orange peel, and – hold your breath – chocolate! Another one of Rita d’Enza’s dishes that display her eclectic cooking style are the mussels from Olbia cooked in vinegar, sesame seeds, red onions, and basil leaves.

As I dined, wined, and experienced sublime at Hotel-Ristorante Gallura, I felt like a meager mortal partaking in the piece of heaven. The chef and her trustworthy waiters pampered me with attention and the food is simply to die for. Make sure you reserve a table here at the restaurant in case you feel like coming to Sardinia anytime soon.