Osteria Delicati Ghent – Authentic Italian pasta

A traditional Italian restaurant, Osteria Delicati doesn’t serve pizza… a brave move in a city where the pizza/pasta combination is common. But this is the reason why it’s a great spot - they put all their time and energy into selecting the best fresh ingredients and turning these into deliciously authentic bowls of pasta that are certainly way better than anything I can put together at home.

Osteria Delicati has become a bit of a family meal favourite and we now affectionately call it ‘the blue house’. When you arrive at this three-storey townhouse tucked peacefully around the back of the touristy Korenlei, you’ll understand why. Its striking blue azzuri facade contrasts with its country kitchen style interior. It's good Italian cooking with a proud Italian face. The restaurant is run by an Italian family and some of the staff don't speak too much Dutch or English so you have to be prepared to use some holiday Italian - it all adds to the atmosphere, just like the colourful photos of beautiful Italian locations on the walls.

My favourite dish here is the code die gambero. I was sold on the unusual combination of tiger prawns, peperoncino, thyme and lemon and orange zest. It definitely works, and now I’m putting lemon zest in all my pasta dishes! We also often order a meat and cheese sharing platter to start. The menu gives you a choice to upgrade to a ‘big’ size. They don’t use the word ‘big’ lightly.