Italiano ordinario

Helsinki, December 19, 2015—

AND THERE'S NOTHING wrong with ordinary. We'd been to the, let's see, third and fourth museums of the afternoon, and were footsore, tired, and hungry. And we were out in the sticks: only one restaurant nearby. I'd noticed it when we got off the tram on our way to the Restaurant Museum, of all places, and had sort of jokingly suggested we stop in for dinner afterward.

The scent of garlic assaulted us gently as we entered — an aroma we haven't noticed these last two weeks or so. An unmistakable Italian stood at the back of the small empty dining room (it was quite early). Buona sera, I called out; buona sera he replied, looking at me a little curiously. C'e una tavola? I asked. Si, signor, due posti?

How nice to be in a familiar language! Don Angelo is from Sicily, Catania to be exact, and proved an excellent host. The restaurant is moving in two weeks, he said, and that is why there is no more vino bianco, I don't want to move any more than I need to, why reorder deliveries here only to move them there…

No matter, I said. The contessa ordered the spaghetti al ragù, but I had the al'Angelo: pancetta, eggplant, garlic, parsley, onion, tomato… Comfort food.

Nero d'Avola

•Don Angelo, Kaapeliaukio 1, Helsinki; 096940078

☛Restaurants visited in 2015 are listed at Eatingday's Restaurants