As mentioned in my previous post, we have discovered a new (well, relatively) Italian deli — and it's great. It's been open since April — but we only happened upon it earlier this autumn.
Called Oltrevino — not an Italian word that I'm aware of, so don't ask me what it means — it's a small place and doesn't stock a huge variety of foods. But everything is brilliant quality. Better yet, it looks great, a winning mix of rustic furniture and sleek contemporary design.
At the back is a small kitchen area with a generous work space, where they prepare their home-made pasta and caffé snacks. Such as this colourful carpaccio...
There are a couple of tables which seem to fill up promptly as soon as they open, plus a massive bleached-wood farmhouse dresser, currently being used to display the pandoro boxes.
Closer to the door is an array of groceries — pasta and sacks of chickpeas and jars of sauces. There's also a substantial glass-fronted walk-in wine cellar stocked to the ceiling with bottles from (mostly) lesser-known wineries (all Italian of course).
And by the door is the counter with its display case of ham and salami, cheeses and fresh pasta, plus plenty of ready-to-eat take-out goodies...
This is the fresh tortellini that was being hand-made at the back in the photos at the top. It's beet-tinted and stuffed with creamy sweet potato.
They also make delicious arancini, plus a good range of panini. Actually they're more like focaccia sandwiches, but that's good enough for us.
What else is good? Lots, such as the cannisters filled with fragrant freshly harvested olive oil (two kinds), which is shipped direct from the farm in Tuscany and decanted directly into bottles to order.
Another thing I like: they appear to never use plastic containers and wrappers — or even rubber bands and tape. Everything is wrapped with carefully folded paper and secured with tightly rolled paper twine.
And what is the drawback? Well, none at all if you live in the vicinity of Kamakura. Otherwise, it's rather a long way to go for your mortadella and speck. But now the old shogun's capital boasts its own Michelin stars (ten of them), here is another good reason — besides the obvious temples and beach — for making a day-trip. This is the address/phone:
2-5-40 Hase, Kamakura-shi // 鎌倉市長谷2-5-40 // 0467-33-4872
This is the Oltrevino web site...
And its blog...
And here's a map link...
