caracale - procida, italy

Rating:  8 / 10

I mean, does it get any better? A blisteringly sunny day in November, calm seas, no wind and a front table overlooking the fishing boats and the fort on the hill. During our two night stay on Procida, this was by far the best food. 

After having walked almost the entire length of the island in furious hunts for open restaurants, google maps showed us the way down to the harbour, and into the bowel of Caracale. Food was ordered, sparkling water consumed, German lady at adjoining table eavesdropped on, life inhaled.

First up was the simple bowl of mussels with pepper. Gorgeous, plump, fresh mussels, cooked perfectly, lemon wedges to awaken the sea, eaten in five minutes flat.

Spaghetti with swordfish up next, nothing but a drizzle of good quality oil, some butter and parsley. Everything sang in it's purity, nothing was lacking, nothing could improve it. 

This was one of those afternoons when the world made sense. When all the trials and mental health issues of lockdown were thrown out the window for a pure hour of bliss. Everyone was smiling, staring out at the view, happy in the knowledge their stomachs were content and life in all it's diabolical twists, couldn't really get much better, so just shut up and enjoy it.

These recommendations are just personal opinions based on my palate, things change, chefs get fired or replaced, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of MSG  and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.