| Ambiance: |  (4.5 / 5) |
| Service: | (5 / 5) |
| Value for money: | (5 / 5) |
| Pizza: | (5 / 5) |
I don’t really know where to start with this review, but I think I’m about to award another 5. Italy, what have you done to my idea of perfection?! Or maybe, Italian restaurants just do offer unbeatable perfection. Everything from the crazy pick up from the hostel, (where they seriously expected 4 of us to get on a scooter with just one helmet), to the rollercoaster like minibus journey through the tiny jagged streets of Ischia island to being able to make pizza and then the food – oh, the food, was just pretty damn brilliant. It was one of those evenings which will forever stand out and I guarantee it’ll always put a huge grin on my face.
We were meant to have been picked up at 7.30, but in true Italian style and when I was about to throw a strop and give up all hope, we were greeted with a motorcycle at 8pm. This was amusing in itself because the guy handed out one helmet and speaking no English, motioned for us to get on. After a lot of head shaking and broken Italian, we secured a minibus to come back. 15 minutes later, minibus arrived, we all got in (hallelujah), only to find the battery had gone. In an attempt to jump start the van, we got out and starting pushing it down the narrow road, resulting in a) nothing happening and b) causing gridlock in the quiet tiny streets of Forio. It was all pretty hilarious to be honest, but to got a long story short, after a Thorpe Park like rollercoaster journey, we got to the restaurant at around 9pm.
The wood fired oven!
As it was only its second day of opening as it’s still low season in Italy, La Casereccia was near enough empty. But, this gave me the opportunity to make my own pizza! Video coming soon – I was taught how to stretch the dough, all about the ingredients and methodology behind a true Neapolitan pizza and watched it being placed into the wood fired oven and how instantly the crust puffed up and charred over the 350+ heat. It was such an experience in itself, and being able to eat the pizza straight out of the oven (whilst making a massive mess – another embarrassing video of this is currently being edited) was unbeatable in itself. It was only a simple margherita but it was so fresh and delicious, and I actually preferred it to the famous ‘Da Michele’ pizza in Naples. It was a lot crispier, but still had that pancake-y, soft dough.
Delicious and Simple – Margherita
We took our seats after the pizza making session and despite being wary about ordering Italian house wine (given my experience to date), I asked for a sample and it was so good! The restaurant even made it so I guess the quality should have gone without saying. It was served in a cool terracotta jug so I could serve my own wine, little and often, just how I like it! So, food time… The menu had over 2 pages of pizzas but being me, I wanted to make something ‘off menu’ so I went for my favourite – wild Italian sausage, fiarielli (broccoli), mozzarella and tomato sauce. Patrick wanted to make this pizza, so ten minutes later, it appeared fresh to order in front of us. And, like the first – it was delicious.
Wine out of a jug!
Sausage, friarelli and mozarella
For my primi, I ordered the melanzane parmiagana (aubergine layered with tomato and mozzarella) as it’s a traditional Neapolitan dish and I trusted La Casereccia would give me a true representation of what it ‘should’ taste like. Cooked in the wood fired oven, it was served in a terracotta dish, and was quite simply amazing. It tasted a lot like a vegetarian lasagne, but the softness of the aubergine and stretchy mozzarella cheese gave it a unique texture. I dipped in some of the homemade bread (they use the pizza dough for their bread), and it was near enough heaven! The others had the gnocchi and tagliatelle a limone. I sampled all of them and although very tasty, I don’t think I could ever manage a whole bowl full of carby gnocchi, especially after pizza and bread. The lemon pasta tasted like a sweet lemon mousse mixed with tagliatelle which was a unique experience in itself.
Melanzene Parmagiana
Gnocchi
I was going to have secondi but I was so full that I went for another jug of wine instead. Justified, right?! But, we did have pudding and we went for all the ‘dolci’ La Casereccia had on offer, being ‘tiramisu’, ‘fondente al ciaccolata’ and ‘oreo cheesecake’. When questioning them about the authenticity of the cheesecake, Lorenzo said ‘we’re Italian, we get so fed up of the traditional Italian puddings, we want something different’. See, even the proud Italians like to mix and match their cuisines! In short, and as expected the puddings were delicious.
Oreo cheesecake – Italian style!
By now it was approaching midnight and although feeling truly Italian for being up so late eating, we noticed we were the only ones left in the restaurant so asked for our bill and got ready to leave. Perhaps the most amazing part of the evening was how cheap it was! I was expecting a massive bill, but it only came to 72 euros for 4! I would have paid more than that just to do a pizza course, so I was pretty chuffed.
Recommendation
I’d definitely go through that whole hostel/near death minibus experience, just to eat at the restaurant again. If you fancy a more tame experience though and are in Ischia island, make the effort to go to la Casereccia, you won’t be disappointed!
Extra Information:
Address: Via Marconi, 48. Cinisello Balsamo, Ischia
Phone: 02 61241635
Website: http://www.lacasereccia.com/
NTK: Go on a Tuesday night and they let you make your own pizza!
