Vicio il Mastro Pastaio

Vicio il Mastro Pastaio is one of Amsterdam’s most distinctive Italian restaurants. Rather than presenting a broad collection of familiar Italian favourites, the restaurant concentrates on the regional cooking of Sicily. The kitchen explores recipes from the island’s coastal towns and countryside, combining seafood, vegetables, citrus, pistachios, saffron and aromatic herbs.

The name translates roughly as “the master pasta maker”, and fresh pasta is central to the experience. Different shapes are prepared by hand and matched carefully with their traditional sauces. These include busiate from western Sicily, bucatini, tagliatelle, ravioli and black spaghetti coloured with cuttlefish ink.

Sicilian cooking reflects centuries of Mediterranean and Arabic influence. This becomes particularly apparent in dishes combining savoury ingredients with raisins, pine nuts, saffron, wild fennel and toasted breadcrumbs. The result is considerably more distinctive than the tomato-and-Parmesan cooking found at many conventional Italian restaurants.

Signature dishes include pasta con le sarde, made with sardines, wild fennel, raisins, pine nuts and saffron, and Spaghettone Nero with prawns, clams, mussels, squid, tomato and garlic. Other pasta dishes combine pistachio and almond pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, aubergine or Sicilian sausage. The selection changes with the seasons, while seafood generally plays a prominent role.

The dining room is elegant and intimate, making Vicio suitable for a romantic dinner or special occasion. Service is warm and enthusiastic, with staff happy to explain unfamiliar dishes and recommend wines from different parts of Sicily. Vegetarian and vegan choices are available, as well as gluten-free pasta on request, although complete protection against cross-contamination cannot be guaranteed.

Dessert deserves serious attention. Traditional Sicilian pastries include cannoli filled with sweet ricotta, colourful cassata and pistacchiomisù, a pistachio interpretation of tiramisu. After the kitchen closes, guests can continue with desserts, wine or cocktails at the bar.

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