Thus the food adventure in Napoli Italy continues... We arrived around noon on a Sunday in Naples, a little - or rather a lot - hungry and tired from the trip. With this port city being so close to the sea we had to venture out from the shrimp and/or calamari we usually order, so the tech savvy between us searched online for a nearby restaurant. After we dropped off our bags we went looking for the spot.
The place is called Cala La Pasta and lies in the center of the "older" part of Naples, which is why we often came across it whenever we went out. Taking into account that restaurants get busy around lunchtime we had to be there early and when we finally found this diner we were lucky that we didn't have a line in front of us and only waited a couple of minutes before being seated. After we received our orders, I could see the line outside only getting longer.
Being on the smaller side inside there's limited seating, with a view into the kitchen. The design looks to be random with intention: a few nods and pictures of the food and restaurant here and there. The "mural" of the volcano above the window into the kitchen did stand out and kept me busy trying to look for details, while waiting for my food. The fact that they used a QR-link to read their menu only made the experience easier.
Daring to try different shellfish we ordered a plate of spaghetti con lupini (spaghetti with lupins [clams]) and because we also wanted to try more authentic Italian meals we also requested a dish known as melenzana a funghetto (mushroom eggplant). As it fell on a Sunday we had to order the lasagna rosa (red lasagna), that's only available on Sundays. The lasagna consists of Bolognese sauce, provolone and cheese.
As it was my first time trying clams I didn't know what to expect: will it be slimy or will it smell and taste raw and fishy? Pleasant, savory and no fishy smell came to mind and well suited for spaghetti. All the juices and flavors came together and had a blast and we didn't mind the effort needed to get the clams out of its shells. I almost didn't want to share the plate with @rarej 😅. Furthermore, were the lasagna divine and the mushroom aubergine a real treat. Trying the eggplant made me consider eating more vegetarian dishes, as it showcased that food without meat can be delectable.
And then I have to give a shout-out to the usual complimentary bread we received as we were waiting for our food and the waitress who offered us more when she saw that we were out of the ciabatta. This was put to good use in consuming the mushroom eggplant and to not waste the sauces coming from the dishes. We left Cala La Pasta satiated and satisfied.
What other seafood should we try next? Let me know in the comments below 🤓.
Chasse into the backstage! 💃
Are you interested in sharing your Sunday story and/or interested in partaking in #DashOutSunday? Be sure to read this post for more information. Looking forward to reading all about it 🤓.
