Casamatta Restaurant — Restaurant in Manduria

Our small group had reserved a table and arrived punctually. Upon entering, we were asked to wait, this extended to ten minutes, with no explanation and little sense of welcome.

Once seated, we found ourselves next to a large table that included vibrant children and their family dogs, a curious decision for a Michelin star setting.

The meal began on a promising note. A sparkling wine was offered as an aperitif, crisp, elegant, and perfectly judged. The amuse bouche were thoughtful and balanced. These, as it turned out, would be the highlight of the experience.

The asparagus was forgettable, neither offending nor engaging. What followed was a raw prawn tart with bearnaise. Visually appealing, but served with no cutlery. When asked, the waiter smiled and said "its the joke". We felt it was too large for this but attempted to eat it anyway. Once it fell apart we requested utensils, along with a laugh from the staff as though the discomfort was part of the show.

Next came a course of veal liver with parmesan and cacao powder, whose strong flavours were aiming at contrast but achieved only confusion. A plate of oyster water and fava beans was a visual muddle that tasted much as it looked.

The main course of cod, which is not native fish in the region a puzzling centrepiece for a restaurant awarded a green star, was described dramatically as "cod, cod et cod" and was less a triptych than a discordant trio. One piece was cooked with care, though drowned beneath an assertive parsley sauce. The fried component was clumsy and dull, and the most pleasant element of the raw preparation was the accompanying melon. Strangely, this dish was paired with a bold, sediment-heavy red wine, whose weight overwhelmed the fish entirely.

Other pairings were poorly timed. A pale ale and a white wine arrived within a single course, leaving us to guess which glass belonged to which idea.

And yet, the setting is undeniably beautiful. The restaurant sits in a region blessed with exquisite ingredients and wines, one could almost feel their presence, just out of reach. I hope in the future, Casamatta can utilise its own terroir and local produce to allow the menu to rise to...

I won't go too deep into the setting of the restaurant, as my previous review of the Vinilia Wine Resort will do it justice. What I would like to describe is the symphony that was the meal that we were so lucky to experience.

Though obvious, it can always be surprising when you realize that a culinary experience is so much more than just the flavor of the food you are served. From start to finish, the kitchen staff conducted an orchestra of taste and vision that wholly represented a passionate culinary excellence that cannot be justly represented by writing. Every plate that came out from start to finish was a feast for the eyes and so richly infused with flavor that we couldn't help but close our eyes and sigh with almost every bite. The meal was a of a modern vision but had clear influences from the Puglian setting in a manner that didn't overpower the design of the courses but rather was a nod to the uniqueness of the region's cuisine. The wines served alongside each course were not only lovely in it's pairing with the foods served but also paired with the weather and setting as it moved from evening to night and starters to dessert. The regional Puglian wines that I tasted that evening (and over the following weeks) truly made me feel that the world of wine has made a gross mistake in not putting them on their deserved pedestal.

The other thing that made this meal so superb was the service and care in which the staff took into making their guests feel so welcome. My wife is pregnant and the staff not only accommodated a request to be served to separate courses, but to make sure that every thing in her meal was curated specially to accommodate the restrictions in her diet. The servers were phenomenal hosts that continued throughout the night to cultivate a ministry of courtesy and warmth.

At the end of our evening, we looked at our watches and saw that almost 4 hours had passed from when we first sat down and when we left. Time stood still while we enjoyed this wonderful experience, but also went by too quickly. It was truly a pleasure to have dined...

During our stay at Vinillia Wine Resort, we dined at Casamatta on one evening. The service was exemplary, and the chef demonstrated notable competence and creativity. However, several factors somewhat detracted from the overall experience.

We opted for the four-course menu, which, to our surprise, did not include wine pairings. Accordingly, we contacted the sommelier and selected two glasses of a local sparkling rosé and a bottle of Fiano, produced by a winery owned by the same individuals behind the restaurant and hotel. While the wines were of good quality, they did not reach an exceptional standard.

The cuisine was satisfactory and served in appropriate portions; however, the lamb dish was disappointing due to its insubstantial nature. While I understand that establishments of this type often serve smaller portions—a common practice—serving bones merely to be gnawed on was unsatisfactory. The accompanying photograph illustrates this point clearly.

On reviewing the bill, we observed that the two glasses of Puglian sparkling wine cost €40, and the bottle of Fiano €65, despite the latter retailing at €13 on the producer’s official website. While it is understandable that restaurants impose a premium on wines, a fivefold markup on the Fiano—considering it is a house wine—seems excessive, especially within an establishment that markets itself as a "Wine Resort."

In conclusion, while the restaurant offers good culinary quality, it exudes a somewhat pretentious atmosphere and maintains an...