Sardinian specialities at Insieme
By Neil Roake
Scheldestraat 23, 1078 GD Amsterdam, Netherlands
BOOK NOWScan the Insieme menu, and you’ll be guided through the multi-courses that Italians enjoy – Antipasto, Primi Piatti, Secondi Piatti, Contorni, Insalata – the kind of meal you’d imagine savouring under an Amalfi Coast lemon tree, those meals that linger on for hours, transitioning from daylight into sunset with ease. The kinds of meals that burn into the memory bank. Come to think of it, do Italians actually have day jobs?
The Insieme menu will take you on a flavour journey up, down, and around the boot; Burrata from Puglia, spaghetti from Naples, fennel sausage from Tuscany, Uncinato truffle from Abruzzo. But it’s none of this that I’m really interested in. I’m here for the sunshine. I heard that the Sardinian chef has it in abundance. Sardinia is the second-largest island in Italy (after my other favourite, Sicily!) and is famous for its clear and pristine waters. I wanted to taste a few Sardinian food gems, and I was hungry. I was hoping for the famous potato, mint, and pecorino-stuffed Culurgiones, but these had moved off an ever-changing seasonal menu to make way for some fresh items. If I ate meat, I’d have raised my hand for the Maccarones de Busa, those hand-made twists of pasta shaped on a knitting needle (the busa) served with a lamb ragu. But I don’t eat meat, so, moving on…
To nibble, we received a bread course of the Sardinian thin, crispy Pane Carasau with whipped caramelised butter. That butter! Fresh Puglian burrata was an excellent Antipasto choice. Almost every restaurant in town has discovered the ease of serving burrata, but this version, starting with a great piece of cheese, beetroot, potato rosti and cime di rapa, was great to share! As a vegetarian, our choices are always limited on a menu, but hopefully, those days when mushroom risotto was the default veg option are over. (Praise be!) So, it was by choice that we moved to a primi-piatto of arugula and pistachio pesto risotto. The menu described a ‘Parmesan foam’ – which could be a thin cloud of nothing! Right? Not this foam, with its rich parmesan flavour enveloping tasty al dente bites of risotto – straight-up tasty! Nice!
One of the boldest offerings on the menu is the various presentations of the suckling pig, served as a terrine, or cooked, or the shoulder cooked, or in homemade porchetta. I also spotted the ravioli at a nearby table – homemade pockets filled with ricotta and artichokes, roasted langoustine, lemon zest, and bottarga. It looked like a plate of sunshine to me. If only I ate fish… On that note, the fancy plating and the formal interior could make Insieme seem uptight and stuffy, but the mood is lightened by the energetic bow-tie-wearing, poor-boy-hatted waiters who don suspenders and make you feel warm and fuzzy. Even when it’s dark and stormy outside. (Hello Amsterdam autumn – you arrived fast!).
Our Secondi Piatti – one of my bucket list dishes – Pane Frattau. I’ve always threatened to make this Traditional Sardinian lasagna of Carasau bread, tomato sauce, pecorino, and ricotta cheese and served with a poached wild egg. It was less rustic than I expected and plated with finesse. It was good enough for me to rush out and stock up on the ingredients and attempt my own more rustic version at home.
And of course, to finish up a Thursday night date-night, a little dolce of Scroppino, basically a little lemon sorbet vodka shake. There’s obviously also Tiramisu, but I think the homemade ladyfingers with zabaione foam & milk ice cream could have been a crowd-pleaser. If you’re looking for something more than red-checkered tablecloths and raffia-wrapped Chianti bottles hanging from the ceiling, give Insieme (meaning ‘together’) a chance and step beyond the places playing with odd pizza toppings on million-hour fermented sourdough crusts. Insieme is all about craft, and they certainly pull it together!
Insieme
The Place: High-end Italian with a Sardinian twist.
The Space: Monochromatic, a little corporate.
The Base: €60 to €75 per person.
The Face: Business people and groups of friends, with not a New Amsterdam Surf Association hoodie in sight.
The Ace: You can continue the full meal avalanche of antipasto, primi piatti, and secondi by sharing dishes, which they split deliciously to serve two. A nice touch.
The Veg: There was enough for us vegetarians to be pleasantly satisfied.
Opening Times: Tues to Sun: 17:30 – 22:00
Images from insiemerestauran.nl, Insieme
