Kasai
Overall Rating: 7.6/10
This unassuming restaurant is perched at the top of a massive hill in the town of Praiano, a short 15-minute drive from Positano. It can be a little difficult to get here but I think it’s worth the hike for both the food and views. Kasai has a cozy indoor seating area but I love sitting outside and enjoying the beautiful view of the mountains and ocean. Their menu changes often and aims to highlight in-season products from vegetables to seafood.
All the staff here are helpful and friendly which makes the experience even better. My biggest plus for Kasai is that they are super dog-friendly! Just look at me and Tapa sitting here when she was just a baby. Anyways let’s get on to the food reviewing!
Starters at Kasai
This is a tuna tartare and it was one of their daily specials when I went. It comes on a bed of crispy bread crumbs that adds a delicious crunch to this dish. The fish itself was well marinated in a soy-based sauce that went well with the dots of aioli on top. This dish was fresh and well-balanced.
Main Dishes
Home-made Cannelloni
This is Kasai’s cannelloni filled with minced beef. I ordered this dish in mid-October so it was a great addition to the menu for the time. The pasta was homemade and had a new chewy texture with a bit of a bite. This was overall a good dish but a pretty small portion for a main dish.
Linguine alle Vongole
One of my top 3 favorite summertime dishes is Linguine alle Vongole or Spaghetti with Clams. I have tried many variations of my dish up and down the Amalfi Coast, so I would consider myself something of a connoisseur. In my opinion, the most important element of the dish is the sauce. As you can see in the image to the right, there is a thick layer of sauce on the bottom of the plate as well as coated on the pasta.
The sauce was pretty good, highlighting the salty umami clam flavor. I appreciated that most of the clams were de-shelled and mixed in with the sauce and pasta, with just a few left on top for presentation. I think it makes for a much more pleasant eating experience. Overall this was a very well-done dish. I can’t say it shines above all the rest I’ve had, but it was good.
Spaghetti con Totani
I saved the best for last because this dish is an absolute 10/10. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. This is their Spaghetti con Totani or local red squid. Totani is caught along the coast of Positano and Praiano, cut into small bite-size pieces, and tossed with spaghetti in a rich, flavorful tomato-based sauce. Every inch of the spaghetti is coated in the glossy sauce and the squid is divine. It’s so tender and has a nice flavor without being fishy at all.
As compared to regular squid, totani have more of a bite to them which I think pairs nicely with al dente pasta. The only downside to this dish is the price tag it comes with, €28 for this plate of pasta. It’s a little steep if you ask me.
If you want to check out their most recent menu you can click here.
Detailed Ranking: 7.6/10
- Restaurant Design/Location/Atmosphere (.7/1)
- Customer Service (.85/1)
- Menu variety/offerings (.8/1)
- Food rating (4.6/6 points total)
- Freshness/Quality of ingredients (1.5/2)
- Overall taste (2.5/3)
- Presentation (.6/1)
- Price point- as compared to value (.65/1)
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