Dessert before dinner, always a winner…read more
Ok that's not really a saying, though on the evening I dropped by La Sfogliatella Mary, it worked out!
With Naples being the birthplace of sfolgiatelle, this shop (or stand really) popped up on several travel websites as one of the better places to try this local pastry. Located at the western entrance to the Galleria Umberto I arcade, it's a popular stop for both locals and tourists. While there wasn't a line, a steady flow of people came by to pick up treats.
On a Saturday evening the crowds were out in full force, though since they close at 8:30pm, around 8pm they were starting to prep for closing, taking out some of the remaining pastries from the display. Fortunately I arrived when they were still taking customers, and the cordial staff was quick to grab a sfogliatelle riccia €2.50, ask if I was eating it here or taking it to go, heating it up slightly then passing it in a wax paper wrapper sprinkled with powdered sugar.
While it looks similar to a lobster tail pastry, the texture is different and they originate from different parts of Italy. This spot offers both types of sfolgiatelle--the Riccia version: deep-fried, layered, with a crunchy outer shell shaped like a conical shell, and the Frolla version: similar filling with a tender short crust pastry shell in a rounded dome shape. Both are served warm with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. They also serve a variety of other traditional baked goods like pastiera, baba rum, zeppola forno, frolla sorrentina.
Biting into the sfolgiatelle, the crunch factor was immediate, nothing subtle about that first bite of texture! The fragrance of orange permeates thru the ricotta filling, I'm a fan citrus infused desserts and really enjoyed the tidbits of candied orange peel and brightness coming thru. There was a generous amount of filling inside, so generous I wish there was more shell to balance it out! It was also on the richer side, especially with the pastry being fried, and the shell felt a tad more oily than I prefer. In general, from eating at other pasticerrias several days in the region, seems the typical sweetness level is greater than I'm accustomed to.
That being said, I still ate almost all of it, and was glad for the opportunity to drop by and try this!