La Cambusa
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Eating sushi in Sicily is a bizarre experience. The island isn’t known for cuisine other than the native dishes. But a romance led to the creation of Ortigia’s La Cambusa Sicilian and Japanese restaurant. The cook is Japanese lady who came to a language school on the island to learn Italian, there she met an Italian, Mario, and the couple married, and set up their fusion restaurant in 2007.
Located in a back street behind the town’s main Piazza Duomo that leads down to the marina, this restaurant is in a very olde-worlde setting with high ceilings, stone arches and small nooks and crannies that have been beautifully decorated with a Japanese theme. Silken kimonos hang from its walls along with fans, tiny paper cranes, delicate ceramics, and Japanese prints.
The food is a mix of Sicilian and Japanese, and changes every 15 days to reflect what is in season. The main staple is fish, which you can eat with pasta in traditional Italian style or sample some wonderful sushi or sashimi. Given the locals are proud of local fare such as tuna and swordfish, to find that you are eating fresh fish cooked Japanese style is refreshing, and the tuna in season is superb: moist, firm and packed with flavour. Vegetables are lightly battered tempura style, so you can have some crisp carrots, crunchy courgettes and melting French beans, depending what’s in season. The dishes are presented with wonderful attention to detailed presentation to give them an oriental twist. To round off your meal you can try the dolci, an area where the Sicilians excel with delights such as chocolate-and-almond pudding in a rich, dark chocolate sauce accompanied by fresh pistachio ice cream. A three-course meal with drinks costs around €20.
If you want a change from Italian food, or merely to mix and match, this is a charming venue, the staff are friendly, and you may have some of the freshest sushi and sashimi you’ve ever tasted.
Open Monday 7pm - 11pm. Tuesday to Sunday midday - 2pm, 4pm - 11pm.
Via delle Carceli Vecchie 12, Siracusa, Italy
Contact tel: +39 09 31 465707, e-mail:
Cost 3 course a la carte: £10 - £25 per person
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La Cambusa
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