Da Baracca, Amalfi, Campania

It's usually a good sign when a restaurant owner stands outside his establishment and welcomes his guests. It means he's also happy to stand up and be counted when they come to leave. The owner of blue and white Da Baracca, set in a tiny square back from the main Amalfi drag, stood next to a sign that proudly proclaimed 'since 1945' (think that meant the restaurant, not him, but it was a close-run thing) and gestured us inside.

Eating here was akin to stepping off shore for a while. Appropriate, I felt, in a place that once rivalled Pisa and Genoa in its maritime republic days. The owner gave us a captain-like welcome aboard. The waiters – swarthy, dark-haired young men of impeccable politeness – wore their shirt sleeves rolled tightly above their elbows, like sailors, and busied themselves on deck, bringing menus. Once seated, and when the restaurant tables had all pretty much filled, we set sail.

Though not exclusively fishy, the menu is mostly so. Certainly all of the most interesting dishes have maritime connections. As we read the evening's offerings, the captain brought us a platter of spankingly fresh fish to inspect, boldly claiming that he serves 'the finest fish in all of Amalfi!'

I started with what turned out to be one of the best dishes I've ever eaten in Italy. ('Dishes I've eaten in Italy' raises the bar from the outset, so believe me, this was good.) And like all the best dishes, it was simple. Homemade pasta with swordfish. Tender morsels of swordfish with black olives and capers and slivers of parmesan, tossed through short pasta. (Who said parmesan should never be served with fish? Not the Amalfitani!) There was some chilli in there too, or perhaps it was chilli oil, because the dish had a warmth to it wavering between gentle heat and fierce kick. Utterly superb. Next, an Amalfi classic, apparently – anchovy pie. Not really a pie, but a timbale of little roasted potatoes surrounded by roasted fresh anchovies, accompanied by a plate of grilled peppers. More superbness, and tiny tiny anchovy bones to crunch.

We chose a modestly-priced white wine from just-up-the-road Ravello, and we couldn't have partnered the evening's food better if we'd had a bottomless budget. At the end of the meal one of the happy sailor band brought each of us a complimentary glass of ice-cold liquirizia, like frozen cough medecine, while a guitar player strummed and sang into the night.

Yo ho ho ho, a pirate's life for me. (That's not what he sang. It's just how we felt.)

Da Baracca, Piazza dei Dogi, 12 (84011) Amalfi

Tel 089 871 285

I can forgive the restaurant for not having a web site of its own when their food and hospitality is this good. They don't need one. Thanks to Google images for the pic.