I've had some very, very exceptionally good Italian in my day, but my experience at East Mamma may have been the best overall Italian food and dining experience in my life.
Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere?
Make no mistake dear reader - East Mamma is no longer a lesser known or undiscovered gem, and as a result you should probably plan accordingly. Fresh off of a transatlantic flight from Dallas on a Saturday morning, I showered up and headed over to East Mamma, arriving just before noon or roughly fifteen minutes prior to opening. I was pleasantly surprised to find only six or seven people lined up out front ahead of me, but over the course of only ten or so minutes I watched the line absolutely balloon, and by the time the doors flew open to cheers all around at 12:15 there were easily between 30 and 50 people lined up around the corner. The word is out folks, but it's worth it, and I very quickly understood why.
When the doors flew open the staff were absolutely jubilant, and that immediately rubbed off on the incoming crowd. There were hoots and hollers and cries of welcome in Italian, French and English, and while you could tell they were professional to a tee, the staff were jovial and joked with one another in a way that made everyone aware that this was a family.
From there the service was marvelous. A majority of the staff spoke perfect English, and had I not known exactly what I was going to order ahead of time they could have very easily helped me out. My dish came out lightning fast, and I had a great chat with some of the servers in the meantime. Star Granted.
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
As you'll find is mentioned in other reviews, the portions at East Mamma are generous, and my truffle pasta dish was enough to fill me up for several hours on account of both its size and richness. For only €18,00 this was a fantastic deal, and I could quickly see that the other menu items provided solid value as well. Star Granted.
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
Absolutely marvelous.
We'll start with the pasta, which outside of clearly being handmade that morning, was cooked to perfection and came out with a consistency that complimented the saucy nature of the dish perfectly. The mascarpone and mushroom cream sauce was creamy and full of flavor without being overwhelming, and the whole thing was brought together with shaved black truffles that provided that wow factor. As I stated previously, this was among the best pasta dishes I've had anywhere in the world. Star Granted.
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
Without question. If you're reading this, know that you need to make your way to East Mamma as soon as possible. Star Granted. read more