All at Sea

"Where have you been for lunch today?" asked an interested Salvotore." Trattoria Maria" I reply enthusiastically. " What did you think of the food?" he enquires."Very good, I think I may go back there tonight. They have a special chicken dish on the menu and it may be good to divert from fish for one night" I tell him. " Yes, Trattoria Maria, the food is ok but a little expensive. Tonight you must go to a place owned by a fisherman and you pay 25 euros for food and wine. One price but they only serve fish and lots of it," he explained.
While i didn't agree with his further assessment of Trattoria Maria ( that lunch I had eaten an excellent, if a little peculiar risotto with provolo cheese, green peppercorns and pear, yes, that is pear. For dessert an almond packed semifreddo with a ribbon of chocolate sauce and a very smooth digestif made with bayleaves)this man had given me several good recommendations for restaurants and so that evening four of us went in search of Al Timone near Porto Empendolce.
Finding Al Timone proved an adventure in itself. " Is this a one way street," I ask the others. " No, but you could try driving on the correct side of the road," came their reply. The car heading straight for me should have been enough evidence and the fact that 5 minutes later I did the same thing, in the exact same spot was either sloppy judgement or comic timing.
A few minutes later, driving downhill, we spot a boat that seemed to be suspended in mid air, surrounded by a bamboo type fencing.This was Al Timone.
Inside, the rhythm was quite pulsating, driven by the energy of the bearded owner, who delivered plates at breakneck speed in a homely,unfussy manner. " Please wait 20 minutes and then you can have a table,", as he directed us up to the waiting area upstairs. I say waiting area, for, after negotiating the narrow, winding steep staircase and through the captains cabin, you arrive to the deck of the boat and wonder if the floor will support your weight.Slanted and unstable, it was a most peculiar but fun place to be contemplating an aperitif. I headed back down and requested some wine and a few hasty minutes later was heading up with a small carafe and 4 glasses. The wine tasted as unstable as the top deck and as Cathy commented, looked and tasted like weak sherry. What have we got ourselves into here, I remember thinking.
To say that the host was a touch unruly, would be a little unfair and as he showed us to our table, I could observe him at closer quarters. He slammed down a huge carafe of that wine, threw down a basket of bread and then ceremoniously landed a whole boiled octopus and left us staring at this bizarre spectacle. Plump mussels with chilli and tomato followed and crispy minced fish fritters.The jelly like exterior of the purple skinned octopus revealed delicious tender meat which melted in the mouth. The ladies implored us not to attack its brain but David and I were soon tucking into this, slicing deftly with a knife and grinning as we squeezed the flesh with lemon juice. This was a challenge of the mind and overcoming our own food insecurities and squeamishness and it felt good.
The tables were turning quickly, people waited outside, sitting at a makeshift table on the side of the street. Next came pasta with tomato and chopped sardines, a mound of spaghetti topped with a rich sauce and screaming of home cooking.He kindly arranged for Spaghetti with basil, to allow Alison to eat something. I'm not sure he was that impressed, after all this place is not supposed to do requests but this was soon forgotten after he'd seen us demolish the octopus. Acceptance is a beautiful thing. Platters of charred whole fish followed, perfectly cooked, moist flesh and crispy skin. He sang out in delight at the qualities of Spigola, the local bass which he raved about all night. Fried calamari and heavily, salted, crusted prawns completed the feast. Gosh these people know how to eat and all this for 25 euros, meant it was a bargain.The food here was the nearest thing I came to experiencing real home cooking and I'm thankful for that.If you want refinement, this is not for you but if an experience full of character is what you crave, then Al Timone delivers on all fronts. Just mind your head when climbing the stairs!