so, for a change, i will do something i haven’t done so far: dedicate an entire blog entry to a single place. why? because at spaghetteria i had what, as far as i can remember, was the best pasta of my life. where to begin…

the spaghetteria has been a success story in amsterdam oud-zuid for more than two years, which is why, about two months ago, they opened a second restaurant in the blooming oud west neighborhood – i.e. just a ten-minute bike-ride from the student hotel. as one of the owners told me, this move had been in their business plan all along in case things go well. and boy, do they go well!

my first impression: the place is huge. big wooden tables literally force strangers to sit opposite and/or next to each other, giving the place a warm, personal atmosphere as soon as it fills up – which happened within the first hour during my visit. for all i could see, everybody might have been a regular as the dishes are just mindblowing – simple, but executed to perfection.

the menu holds six pasta dishes: two veggie / fish / meat options, half of which are always available while the other three keep changing all the time. contrary to the spaghetteria’s name, these also include ravioli, creste, pappardelle and a few others. other than the pasta, there are just a rocket side salad and a tiramisu.

all of it looks, smells, and tastes absolutely spectacular! have a look…

the not-so-secret secret behind this: all ingredients are from italy, as is everybody working in the kitchen. “this is italy”, as the owner i talked to puts it, unknowingly delivering the perfect headline for this little love letter.

when i got up to say bye and then passed by my seat on my way out, it was already taken by somebody else.

i know why.