As an 18 year old student in '83, working as a tour guide, I would occasionally pop in here for an ice cream in the afternoon, when leading the half day 'Islands of the Lagoon' excursion from Lido di Jesolo. I forget what the ice...cream used to cost but I well remember that the Locanda did a tourist menu for L.30,000. This was two and a half to three times the price of most of the tourist menus in Venice itself. At the time, I was astounded that people would pay so much for food. Bear in mind that you could still get a simple pizza for L.2,000 in Jesolo at the time. On reflection, it was nice of the staff to let us in for a take-away cone!
Time moved on, we became better off, and later in the eighties and into the nineties, my wife and I would come to Venice every year in the last week of June and eat here. Then, in 2009, we brought our children here too. They loved it.
This year, we visited for lunch on 7 September. Over the years, I have looked many times at the old photographs of the Royal Family visiting the restaurant and wish that on this occasion I had dwelt on them a little longer.
It is said that the olfactory memory is the most vivid and this is confirmed on entering the Locanda. There is a mild but distinct smell of linseed from the old wooden tables and, had he visited only once before, a blind man would know immediately where he was. This aroma, almost four decades old to me, perfectly bridges the gap between past and present.
The photographs of politicians and royalty on the walls are unchanged; the garden is unchanged; a post-prandial trip to the lavatories confirmed that they are unchanged - and I found them to be immaculate, contrary to one review in which they were described as not worthy of a gas station. They must have some glitzy petrol stations stateside.
The menu, while still short (and short is always better than long), is not quite as short as decades ago. But the old favourites are still there.
On our visit, every diner receives a swordfish amuse-bouche. The cynical observer would say that this is a ploy to distract from the fact that, like so many places nowadays, they appear just slightly short-staffed here for this busy lunchtime service.
However, we are in no hurry and order bellinis which are superb and make one wonder what the Danieli people do to theirs.
We are going to eat fish and there follows the longest conversation I have ever had with a waiter.
To cut a long story short, I want a Pinot Bianco but not a '21. He suggests a '15! I ask him what happens when Pinot Bianco ages. He can't quite explain but does say that, if I don't like it, he'll take it back and sell it by the glass. The wine is magnificent. We share sardines and prawns 'in saor'. This is oniony with a sweet and sour effect from vinegar, raisins and pine nuts: delicious but a tricky wine match. The waiter said our wine would go well and it handles the strong flavours with ease.
Next comes the Locanda's signature green Tagliolini with smoked ham in a béchamel sauce au gratin, shared again. This is always worth travelling 1200 miles for. Our shared main course is mixed grilled fish. For me, some of this is very slightly overcooked. Perhaps the mixed fried fish would have been a better choice but, after three days in Venice, we have had enough fried food and the extra plate of grilled vegetables is very welcome. The aged Pinot Bianco ploughs through everything. My wife finishes with a sorbet but I am full and have a caffè corretto.
This was an excellent lunch and, at €184.50 plus tip, good value for what it represents. Don't be afraid to share though. Say you will be doing so and you will get extra plates. There is absolutely no stigma attached to doing so in Italy and you would need a very big appetite indeed to get through three courses here before pudding if you tackled a full portion of each delicious course on your own.More
