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| Tagliata ristretto Chianti with spinach and mashed potatoes |
Unlike the Italian economy and
Italian politics, Italian food has not lost any popularity in recent years. Quite
the contrary, Italian food seems to be defending successfully its title as the
most popular and universally liked food in the world (even though competition
is tough – e.g. sushi, dim sum, etc. …Indonesian food would probably also be in
this list if it had better marketing). In Surabaya, the number one (authentic) address
to get your pizza & pasta fix has long been La Rucola. Today there are a
few more options (like Antica Osteria) but we think that La Rucola is
still one of the best places to enjoy Italian food in a dolce vita atmosphere (there are some things to consider though – read on). The restaurant itself is a
nice place with a warm, Italian inspired interior. It is recommended to bring a
dictionary for the menu. The names of most dishes are in Italian and there are
not many explanations.
Unfortunately, the service has
gotten worse recently. There have been rumors that new places like Domicile and
1903 hired good staff from La Rucola. We waited comparatively long until the
waiter took our order and probably 45 minutes again until our main dishes
arrived. But thanks to the free grissini (bread sticks) and pesto, we didn’t
have to starve. And waiting is part of the Italian lifestyle anyway. When
Italians need to get personal administrative stuff done (like getting a new
passport), they get a day off at work because Italian bureaucracy is so chaotic
and slow and they have to wait in line for almost forever. Sounds familiar? :-D
