Spaghetti (CHF 51)!
Pasta in Switzerland: a spaghetti alle vongole with fresh clams and a carbonara, at Swiss prices. CHF 51.
A pasta dinner on the Switzerland leg of the trip with BB: spaghetti for CHF 51 (around SGD$71), which is just what eating out in Switzerland costs. 🍝😋
What we had:
- Spaghetti alle vongole: spaghetti with fresh clams, garlic, chilli, parsley and lemon
- A spaghetti carbonara with pancetta
The vongole was the one I loved. A pile of plump clams still in their shells over al dente spaghetti, in a light, garlicky, white-wine-and-oil sauce flecked with chilli and parsley, with a squeeze of lemon to brighten it. Each clam was sweet and briny, and you mop up the savoury, sea-flavoured juices with the noodles. Clean and simple, done well.
The carbonara was the rich, comforting counterpart: silky egg-and-cheese sauce clinging to the spaghetti, with salty bits of pancetta through it. Properly glossy rather than claggy, exactly as carbonara should be.
The only Swiss thing about it was the bill. CHF 51 for spaghetti would be eye-watering anywhere else, but that is Switzerland, and the cooking itself was genuinely good. As a holiday treat, a couple of well-made plates of pasta hit the spot.
Overall: 4.7 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Fresh, briny clam spaghetti and a silky carbonara, properly made (if very Swiss-priced). Would re-order.
