Sa Seada

Sa Seada, located outside of Amsterdam's touristy center, offers value for money, friendly service and fab Italian food.

Entering this ordinary looking restaurant, we notice the bizarre posters of Sophia Loren: Sophia with oversized wooden utensils; Sophia posing between enormous blocks of Parmesan; and a rather puzzled-looking Sophia sampling a large bowl of unidentified white goop. The owner must be a fan, and most certainly has a sense of humor.

Sa Seada’s menu is no joke, however, offering a selection of traditional Mediterranean dishes, with a Sardinian leaning, and some good Italian wines. But, we're not allowed to peruse the menu for long, as the friendly owner enthusiastically reels off the daily specials, which are also written on the blackboard overhead.

The sound of Italians arguing in the kitchen fills us with hope as we decide what to order. We start with an enormous platter of bruschetta (too much for one), with tomatoes, grilled peppers, garlicky chanterelle mushrooms and griddle-marked courgettes. The bruschetta is crunchy without being palate-destroyingly hard and tastes fresh and lovingly homemade.

Their veggie pizza is one of the best in town. The crust is thin & crispy and they don’t scrimp on toppings - a medley of Mediterranean vegetables. My lamp chops (six per portion) are tender & perfectly cooked. A side platter of spinach, roast potatoes, moreish mushrooms & other veggies make a welcome respite from the usual fries. We wash it all down with a fantastic bottle of Baretta.

With food this good, we simply have to have dessert, despite feeling more stuffed than a turkey at Christmas. We share a lemon tart - heaven in a lemon orchid - a creamy yet tangy lemon curd filling and light crispy crust. A first class espresso (served with biscotti) forms the perfect bitter antidote to the sweet-sour of our dessert. We leave feeling contented and promise the owner – and Sophia – that we’ll be back very, very soon.