A Proposito, Weena 505, 3013 AL Rotterdam, Netherlands

This Italian eatery just outside Rotterdam Centraal station, is a bit of an institution. I’ve only ever visited on weeknights and it has always been packed throughout the evening. The glass exteriors give it a slightly sophisticated air after dark, but on this summer evening, we were bathed in heat and light, giving it quite a different atmosphere. The wine glasses are the largest I have ever encountered. You can’t help but enjoy wine in these glasses, which resemble goldfish bowls on the thinniest stems imaginable.

Forget printed menus, large double-sided chalkboards are presented to each table on request. Antipasti, meat, fish, pasta and risotto feature, and non-Dutch/Italian speakers always have fun trying to translate each ingredient listed.

Requesting an unspecified selection of the antipasti was a wonderful decision! A phenomenal array of wonderful looking food arrived – buffalo mozzarella, pecorino cheese, parma ham, salami, sun dried tomatoes, rocket salad, roasted red peppers, very ripe melon, roast courgette – each one full of flavour. The bruschetta was far better and more imaginative (and to my taste) than any I’d sampled in the UK, with garlic, basil and red chilli added to the tomato.

The foccacia was the wonderful really fluffy stuff, joyfully warm and drizzled in olive oil.

 Portion sizes are huge. I barely had room for a main course, but managed to regain some appetite given the deliciousness of my spaghetti, which boasted capers, olives, garlic and sausage meatballs in a tomato sauce.

Service, whilst usually very good, was umm...interesting on this latest visit. Our nonchalant waiter couldn’t see the problem in only taking 4 of the 5 drinks orders of our party. He could however see a big problem with serving parmesan to the person who’d ordered pasta with scallops. When she asked him for it he took on the gravest of tones and said “it is very difficult for me to help you… fish and cheese…No.” And then he flounced off. (Needless to say we stole the cheese grater when his back was turned and helped ourselves).


Service aside, the food quality, the portion (and wine glass size), variety and flavour here are truly excellent and I’d strongly recommend a visit should you ever be in Rotterdam!