La Voce del Mare — Restaurant in Tiggiano

This is one of those rare places that are difficult to do justice because it is in factjust that good. We came in on a ridiculously warm day in July, the only people through the restaurant doors at half past 2pm, less than 30 minutes before afternoon closure. The sun here becomes unbearable after midday - regardless Giuseppe was very warm in his welcome and even though he had no other business and was just about to rest he showed us a kindness that we haven't found elsewhere. I mean people in Salento are nice but very few will lose their own rest over your comfort (this is true of anywhere in the world really) - Giuseppe did. Everything looked great on the menu and we couldn't decide so we opted to share the "Voce del Mare" antipasto platter, the frutti di mare pasta and then we both got our own mains: she went for the grilled tuna steak which comes with a rocket and cherry tomato salad, whereas I opted for the mixed grill of squid (calamaro), "1st choice" prawns, and swordfish. Everything was delicately prepared, of exquisite freshness and despite having spent a whole week here enjoying the many many culinary wonders that are of tradition here, this still made for a stop so pleasant we could not believe it. Because it was just us, Giuseppe also talked to us about how he sources all his seafood, his mussels especially as there are so many subtleties depending on geography of origin which greatly impact taste, and made us feel at home. Everything was excellent. The platter is a MUST. It's incredibly light and makes for a wonderfully fresh opening for the rest especially in summer heat. My partner and I are both excellent pasta dish makers and we still couldn't understand how well Giuseppe managed to not only cook his "stracciate" (a unique take on the traditional tagliatella) but also with the sauce - there was a je ne sais quois to it that elevate the dish. I found myself unable to resist my Roman instincts for a scarpetta, cleaning the whole plate! And his bread... even the bread is unreal. Giuseppe makes a really special and never before tried focaccia made from a zucchini and chilli infusion (surprisingly it's all red)... So sublime yet with such full character as it delivers a potent but pleasant kick. The fish Mains were both excellent. The tuna was cooked to perfection, tender like butter, as was the swordfish, the whole calamaro and even more the "gamberoni" so large because they are of "1st choice". So easy to clean and a genuine delight to savour. Even his chips are homecut, made fresh and fried on the spot - just like my mom used to make for me. I parted ways with Giuseppe but I know full well I'll be remembering this lunch for time to come and this will become a staple for my own future travels throughout Salento even if I had to travel over an hour for it. And by the way, these are maybe the fairest prices in the region!!! I walked away spending less than 70 euro for 4 dishes and drinks. Very few places in Salento command such economics and none of them are of this quality.

To recap, if you can move around in Salento easily, Voce del Mare is where you will find genuinely authentic, good food without false pretenses, tourist trapping practices and most importantly falsely advertised ingredients. Come here, get to know Giuseppe through his food and have...

Recensione da 2,5 stelle In controtendenza delle altre recensioni, devo dare 3 stelle. Un locale abbastanza carino, molto confortevole, sembra di stare a casa. Sugli antipasti poco da dire, pesce assolutamente fresco, sapori ricercati. Sul primo sono rimasto delusissimo, pasta veramente poco saporita, i sapori non erano amalgamati affatto. Per i secondi la stessa cosa, del semplice pesce alla piastra, con un retrogusto di bruciato, delusissimo. Il dolce inveve è stato molto buono.

Oltre al cibo, sono rimasto deluso, di un'altra cosa: tralasciando il conto (100 euro in 2 persone), non si può neanche non offrire un caffè o un amaro. Mi dispiace, si parlava bene di questo locale, ma non ci...

Ci siamo trovati qui per pranzo e devo dire che si è rivelato un ristorante davvero accogliente, prodotti freschissimi e piatti preparati a regola d'arte. Peccato essere solo di passaggio per Tiggiano, altrimenti saremmo tornati volentieri, oltre che per mangiare nuovamente questi spendidi piatti (nota particolare per l'insalata di mare davvero strepitosa e che definire fresca è riduttivo), anche per avere il piacere di rincontrare e scambiare due chiacchiere con colui che li prepara, una persona gentilissima e disponibile che ci ha aiutati molto non solo nell'orientarci per il cammino ma anche per ripararci dalla pioggia in orario di chiusura. Consigliatissimo, cibo e...