"24/6 We had lunch today in this well known establishment. I was with people very important to me and I was hoping for a really nice experience. Mamma Santina delivered it and more! In Salina most of the restaurant have abandoned the typical cuisine for a more daring (and expensive) approach, offering places that would pretend to be glamorous but most of the times fail to deliver what is promised and expected. Mamma Santina remains one of the few example of typical aeolian restaurant, a place where the hospitality is still sacred and the smiles of the people working there are truly genuine. Immediately you feel like at home, guests at a friend’s house more than customers. Mario (the owner and chef) and Eleonora will tempt you immediately with delicatessen which are results of years of passion, research and love for this job. We had a mix of courses: amongst the starters the parmigiana di alici was outstanding, I had squid with pasta as main course, octopus Salina style, tuna parmigiana which was delicious. Fresh capers’ salad was also incredibly tasty! There were a dozen more things that I would have liked to try, so choice wax really hard. Up to this point everything is normal: a nice place, excellent cuisine, all rare but not unique. What made this experience a triumph was what happened afterwards: they have chilli pepper plants all along the edge of the restaurant terrace and one of my guests love chili pepper. We discussed what could have been the strongest one and Eleonora introduced us to Thomas, an Indian gentleman that takes care of these plants. You could sense his love for them. He carefully chose one, picked it and prepared it for us, mincing it in a cream with onion, garlic and olive oil. My friend tried it and even the gentleman of the table next to us had a go at it. It was really powerful! We than had a lovely chat with our neighbours sipping an homemade citrus liqueur. We realised that this restaurant is framed inside an hotel so we asked to see one of the rooms and it was so lovely that my friends booked it for next year holiday. I could write rivers of words about this place but I won’t do it, I will simply suggest for you to experience it like we did, and ask yourself if your are dreaming or not. Well done to all the staff and in particular to Mario, Eleonora and Thomas for the lovey experience we have had."
