Review: Breda

6 March 2019

I had a long and tiring afternoon in the rain, after that underwhelming lunch at the previously-reliable Rijks. As my Rijksmuseum plans were scuppered, I headed out to Haarlem instead. I’m not overly fond of Dutch cemeteries, as they tend to be extremely drab compared to nearly everywhere else in Europe. Nevertheless I strolled through cemetery at Kleverlaan to visit the graves of two Nobel laureates who shared the 1902 Physics prize, who are both buried there.

I was pretty much spent, so I headed back to Amsterdam, glad that my hotel is near Sloterdijk — which is closer to Haarlem. My foot was really killing me so I headed back. I had to do some packing and sorting, as tomorrow I head back across the Atlantic for the last time in a long, long time. No more long-haul travel after this, not for a long while at least…

I eventually had a stroll around the centre but the rain — and the crazy crowds — were just too annoying, so I headed to dinner early. Tonight’s destination, for my final meal on this trip, was Breda. Many people I know rave about the place, so I decided to give it a try. They have no posted menu, so it’s really a surprise.

I got there and was led to a table in the back. I relaxed and they asked how many courses I would like, and I said why not the full tasting with pairing, so that’s one thing done. Then with some nice bread, a selection of amuse arrived.

The cauliflower soup with cockles was not bad, the herring on the crispbread was good though it broke upon even gentle handling, and the sea lettuce and mackered was a bit meh. Then things started to go pretty pear-shaped…

They were moderately busy, but come on, how can you start a meal with a HALF HOUR wait for the first course? By the time it came, I was pretty frustrated — partly as the signal in Amsterdam has been spotty all day and I was sitting there staring at the ceiling… And the first dish at first sight did not give me much confidence…

Haddock, ginger and leek. Tasted far better than it looked, I admit. It actually got better as it went on, the ginger really working well with the fish. Perhaps this evening is gonna work after all. I relaxed a little, and the second dish came surprisingly quickly after that ridiculous wait…

Venison with yolk and oyster mushroom. Sorry about the poor photos, the lighting was very dim inside and my phone was really tired from this trip and was not focusing well… Again, it got better as it went on, working well with a Bulgarian red. The only thing that didn’t work was the mushrooms, as the texture just didn’t fit the rest; I wish they kept it soft. Anyway, so far okay. Then with an Alsace orange wine, which had a wonderful aroma, poured, we have the scallop.

Not bad, but again I think my trip to the Faroe Islands has all but ruined me for scallops. The coral helped this along, as well as dried shaved scallops, and interesting dish. Then a vermentino is poured for the next dish, cream of salsify.

Well, it was wee watery and somewhat acidic, though that worked somewhat here. The truffles also worked once it meshed into the liquid, though this whole dish feels somewhat sloppy. The soup in the amuse was better than this, that’s for sure. Then with another natural wine from Alsace poured, we have the cod.

Drowning in sauce and sundries, when it really doesn’t need it. The cod itself was excellent, but the hard part was getting rid of all the crap. This trend of using whey for acid is rather annoying, to be honest. I thought it worked in a place like Vinland in Portland, Maine, as they use ONLY ingredients from Maine — even during the winter, when options for acid are lacking. This acid was really just intrusive, taking away from the good cod.

At this point the service was beyond a little chaotic. One of the servers seems to be on something, as she’s nearly falling over and spilling wines as she pours nearly each time. It’s a little annoying, and she starts to walk away as she’s finishing the description. When there’s no menu, you really need to do the description much better… This was the case with the next dish, cauliflower.

I’m sorry but this was a total mess. The cauliflower tasted like something between mush and flour, the awful sauce made me wish I had a plate of flour to eat. Wow. I wrote in my notes at the time that this may have been one of the worst dishes I’ve eaten in years… I love cauliflower, and I’ve never had such bad cauliflower in my life. Wow…

Now I’m completely worried, as this dinner is not going well at all. Then for the next dish, sweetbread. But another very sloppy pour of wine and she didn’t even wipe it up…

WTF is going on here…

And the sweetbread…well, same story. The sweetbread itself was done quite well, but the sauce again was an unnecessary acidic attack on the senses. And it’s just SOAKING in it. Whoever is the saucier here really needs to consider how all this goes down… I am not impressed by this at all, not even close. I’m actually hoping this meal all ends soon. Then the final savoury dish, pigeon.

Finally a really good dish! Both parts of the bird was cooked very well; the confit was crispy but soft, perfectly done, and the breast was super soft but had wonderful consistency and taste. The kitchen did themselves very well on this dish. Sadly, a little too late in my mind to rescue this evening.

I was pretty much spent and wanted this to just end soon. I was just hoping for that one server to not spill more wine on my table… Then a pre-dessert.

One of lemon and apple…so acidic, I feel my teeth… Tonight has been a journey through acids frankly, far too much for my palate. Those who love modern Danish cooking would love this place. Sadly, not for me. I struggled through it and the dessert, for which I requested no pairing…

Semifreddo. I’m done. I asked for the bill, and I just wanted to get out of there. I settled up and limped out of the restaurant, heading for the tram to get myself back to Centraal and then to Sloterdijk, so I can put this evening out of my head.

Despite many people I know raving about this place, tonight was a total disappointment. There were so many dishes that just didn’t work for me, being so acidic in such a distracting way. I don’t understand why kitchens feel like they need to overwhelm on each dish and diminish the flavours of the central ingredient. Why not just do each dish with tofu instead so you can show off on the sauces? This is the type of cooking that perplexes me, having eaten at over 100 Michelin-starred restaurants on 4 continents and in 30 countries. Hey, let’s spend a shitload of money on this awesome meat/fish and let’s kill it with cheap whey…

And the service…I understand informality, but frankly the amount of wine spilled tonight by that one server is not just annoying but shows a complete lack of respect for diners. And frankly, I felt absolutely disrespected by this crew here. Just a terrible night overall. Perhaps this is a good time to call it a day on fine dining, this is about a heavy as a straw on the proverbial camel’s back…

Sad, as this is likely my final meal in Europe in a long, long time…and such a bad dining experience to have in my mind…

Breda
Singel 210
Amsterdam, Nederland

Review #2: Rijks

6 March 2019

I had a raging hangover when I got up…thank goodness I set my alarm. I headed out, thanking my foresight for booking an airport hotel at FRA. No issues flying to Amsterdam, but as usual Schiphol was a total mess. Took ages for my bags to come out, and of course every other train was cancelled — YET AGAIN. I have very little luck when I come to the Netherlands.

I got to my hotel near Sloterdijk and it was pissing down, so I ran from the station despite my dodgy foot. Checked in and dried off and found my brolly before I headed out — as I was running almost late now. I had to run to the station to get a day ticket, I forgot to buy when when I was at Schiphol due to the chaos with all the cancelled trains, so wasted a few euros there. Hopped onto the tram that eventually took me near the Rijksmuseum.

I had wanted to drop into the museum, as I’ve not visited it since it was re-opened after its multi-year renovation. But all indications is that it’s a shitshow inside, as the rain forced most of the tourists indoors. Never good, so I said forget it. I went to the adjacent restaurant Rijks, the Michelin-starred museum eatery where I had a wonderful dinner last time I visited.

Well, I was a little early, so they asked me to wait at the bar. I enjoyed a very strong Negroni before they seated me at a table that annoyingly rocked. They really need to check these things before service… I relaxed and having looked over the menus already, I was ready to go — though the servers weren’t. It was the late part of lunch service so it’s chaotic, many people leaving, last set coming in.

I eventually ordered and had already finished my Negroni, so was happy when my wine appeared. All Dutch wines today, and they are quite pleasant. Then a pair of snacks…

I needed them with the strong Negroni and running on fumes from the hangover. I sipped my wine, relaxed and just tried to plan out the rest of the day as I waited for my food. After a little bit the first course arrived, the red mullet.

Quite nice, nice flavours. The addition of the smoked eel was a nice touch, although the sauce was rather unnecessary. Better than the version at Osteria Fernanda in Rome a week earlier. I had finished my white and when they brought out the red, they also brought out the first part of my two-part main course…

Ah, a true tasting of aged duck… Here we have a nice heart skewer with some masala sauce, then a duck egg with celeriac and tongue (of which the prep was rather odd), and finally glazed duck leg that was chopped up that was a tad too sweet with the marmalade.

Here’s a better look. An interesting selection of dishes here, though none really hit the spot. Then they brought out what would be the next part…

Nice…looking forward to it. The place had quieted down a little, but an adjacent large table featured a pair of dissasociated parents with their three children. The parents were just on their own planet, not caring what the kids were doing. The kids, obviously pissed about being brought to the Rijksmuseum, are all on their devices, ignoring everything — including things falling loudly onto the ground. Kids in nice restaurants just drive me insane…not really the kids themselves, but the bloody parents…

Anyway, then a second glass of red appears and soon the second part of the aged duck tasting arrives…

Sigh, this breast was not good. It was so unevenly cooked I wonder how they managed this. Look at an internal slice.

Sigh. And it was dried out and lacked flavour. With the kids now complaining and the parents just ignoring them, the family from hell was now getting stares from all corners of the restaurant, and I had enough.

Sigh, a poor experience frankly at another place I had such a good experience last time. Is it the lunch slot? Or is it just carelessness from a recently re-Michelin’d kitchen? Either way, it was disappointing as I head out of there into the drizzle for a long afternoon…

Not a great return to what could be my last Michelin-starred meal for a long, long time…

Rijks
Museumstraat 2
Amsterdam, Nederland

Review #2: Stanley Diamond

5 March 2019

I woke up for my final day in Germany again very melancholic. I had a long day, but partially ruined as Mainz Cathedral was closed for Fat Tuesday. Why? Sigh… But I spent the day exploring both Mainz and Wiesbaden across the river, before heading back to my hotel. Just grabbed some snacks at a local shop for a quick lunch as I did some travel logistics and packed. My frustration with Germany continues…

I eventually headed out to dinner, returning to Stanley Diamond. I had found this place by last resort last time, and discovered a pleasant surprise — especially it’s mind-blowingly-good pastrami. So I decided to head back there for my last meal in Germany.

Frankfurt’s Hauptbahnhof is never a fun place, and the local S-Bahn service is a complete joke that compares to local train service in England — yes, it’s that bad. I got to Stanley Diamond and chilled out and ordered a much-needed Martini — my first in weeks. I happily ordered and chilled with my drink.

They always bring out some ham with the bread service, which is always appreciated, as the Martini was nice and strong. They do know their Martinis here, as they asked very specific questions about my gin preference. Then it arrived…

I ordered a larger serving today because it’s so good. It’s excellent, but not quite as good as last time. Perhaps I’m the first to order this today? I see some dried-out ends. But some of the slices were just awesome. I finished this happily and enjoyed a bit of wine that my server had recommended. Then the main course, which she also recommended…

Rotbarsch (Atlantic redfish) is the main course, usually not one of my favourites, but this was quite good. The bernaise was so not needed, as the fish was cooked very well. Enjoyed this with more wine. Then finally, I ordered a dessert, the brownie…

Some crumbled brownie with delicious ice cream here, all going down well with my espresso. I then had a few after-dinner drinks, the second of which my excellent server recommended. This was a good way to end my Germany trip. I thanked the staff and headed back to the Hauptbahnhof to be greeted by YET another S-Bahn delay back.

It’s sad that my last memory of Germany is gonna be transport failure, but at least this was a good final meal here. I usually love Germany, but for the first time in 25 years I’ve not really enjoyed being here. That really saddened me…

Stanley Diamond
Ottostraße 16–18
Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland

* Of course that caused me to drink too much at the bar, helped on with a few newly-made friends, going past midnight. Thank goodness I habitually set my alarm before I go to the hotel bar, as I have a flight out in the morning…

Noch mehr Frust in Hessen…

4 March 2019

The next day I headed towards Frankfurt Airport, where my hotel is located for the next 2 days. Actually glad to be getting out of a rather frustrating Baden-Württemberg. It’s convenient for regional exploration, and this first day’s target was Darmstadt. This wasn’t helped by the rapidly declining weather, and I ended up arguing with places closed due to the “storm”….

What storm? It was a little breezy and a slight drizzle. I was livid, it ruined my day. I headed back to Frankfurt, but stayed south of the Main and headed to a part of town full of small wine taverns. That’s when the skies opened up and I was soaked when I reached Frau Rauscher mid-afternoon.

I skipped lunch so I was hungry (and wet), and I was glad to order a big dish. And today’s decision was the sausage platter…

Not bad, a few different sausages here, all going down well with the Apfelwein, the local specialty. Didn’t need much mustard, but the Sauerkraut was especially nice, with a tinge of apple. I finished the plate and had some apple brandy before I headed out. It’s dried out a bit.

I walked around for a little and decided to have a second meal…yeah, why not. So I dropped into another of the wine taverns named Fichtekränzi, which had just opened at 5pm. It was already getting busy, so I took a corner seat in one of the large communal tables and relaxed. With more Apfelwein in hand, I ordered another main course. This makes up for a lot of missed lunches!

Rippchen, grilled a little too long, but was pretty good. I always love these smoked chops. This wasn’t one of the best, but it does its job. Again, lovely Sauerkraut with a tinge of apple. A filling second meal, and I had one more Apfelwein. They are distinct from tavern to tavern, so it’s nice to try different ones.

I finished and thanked the friendly staff and headed on out towards my hotel. Frankly these two meals already completely blew away what I had in the 4 earlier days in Baden-Württemberg. It’s still not as good as usual, as Frankfurt is never the best place for food, but it’s getting better. Not good enough to alleviate all my frustrations about this annoying day in Hesse but my trip is coming to an end, so…

Frau Rauscher
Klappergasse 8

Fichtekränzi
Wallstraße 5
Frankfurt-am-Main, Deutschland

Endlos Frust in ganz Baden-Württemberg…

28 February-3 March 2019

I left Italy with a heavy heart as it could be a long, long while before I see that wonderful country again… I flew to that ridiculous airport that straddles Basel & Mulhouse that completely violates Schengen in every way possible. Possibly the WORST airport within the Schengen Zone (since they don’t know they’re in it). A so-so bus ride later, I arrive at the town of Freiburg im Breisgau for my 4-day trek around Baden-Württemberg.

I had a busy afternoon running around, and for now the weather held up. I was tired, but still I wanted to explore the old town a bit. A beautiful compact central area, the anchor of it all is the beautiful Münster. As I had not had lunch, I decided to pop into a place there next to the Münster called Ganter Brauereiausschank. I read some very mixed stuff about this place, and it turned out to be the case. Some idiots on the next table didn’t make it any better.

The Schäufele was pretty ordinary to be honest, nothing very special. I’ve had much better. Plus the annoying group that keeps going out smoking and bringing back the most awful tar-filled odour, I decided to head out. Unfortunately, all the other places nearby were full, this being a busy Thursday night. After trying 4 places packed to the hilt I gave up, headed back towards my hotel, and grabbed a bad kebab since there were absolutely no German places near my hotel. Sigh…a bad start to my Baden-Württemberg stay…

At dawn the next morning I headed north to Karlsruhe, the capital of the former Grand Duchy of Baden. I had an extremely busy morning here, running all over town as I had to run straight to Stuttgart afterwards. A nice long morning spent, and I rolled into Stuttgart the early afternoon. I dumped my bags and sought out food, and decided to really have a bit lunch.

I headed to Onkel Otto, which is famous for their super-sized Schnitzel. Why not, eh? I got there and promptly ordered a beer and Jägerschnitzel. As I enjoyed my beer, the huge plate soon appeared…

Oh goodness. Do realise that the sauce tureen is normal sized, and this plate is over a foot in diameter. And it’s lousy with Spätzle beneath. Thank goodness for that mushroom sauce… I worked and worked on it and yes, I did finish this plate. I was hungry, and I am now fuelled for a busy afternoon in Stuttgart.

And indeed a had a long afternoon in Stuttgart, and I was drained afterwards. My hotel is a rather sad crash-pad-like place at the train station that I chose for convenience. Yes, it’s the Intercity, which is always a crap-shoot on quality. You get excellent ones and shitty ones, and this was a shitty one. The lift/elevator smells like something is decomposing in the shaft…

That evening I headed to dinner, hoping there’s space at the popular Weinhaus Stetter. It’s a Friday night in a very busy party weekend, so that’s why I’m hoping it’ll have space. I got there and indeed got a space at the bar. Eventually I enjoyed some excellent local wines and ordered a dish, which soon arrived.

Well, this Saure Kutteln is not like the tripe I had in Cagliari for sure. It was far more of a soup than a tripe dish, which is disappointing as there was rather little tripe here with a very boring soup. I had another glass of excellent local Grauburgunder, but I didn’t feel like chancing more of the food here. Plus the service barely moved. So I just headed out and wandered around. Stuttgart is beautiful at night, but there were too many drunks around this party weekend, so I just headed back towards the Hauptbahnhof. Ended up grabbing a snack there to sustain myself the rest of the night…

The next morning, after a so-so sleep interrupted by drunken idiots at 4am, I headed out early for the college town of Tübingen. Bad move, as partiers were just going home on the 7.30am train I was on…ugh… I went to Tübingen to explore its historic cemetery, which was nice and quiet, albeit misty this early Saturday morning. I made my way back to Stuttgart and had an extremely long day — which did not afford me time to eat lunch once again…

So by dinner time I was completely knackered and extremely hungry. I headed to dinner at Zum Becher, which has a good reputation for good wine and food. I got there and it was moderately busy this party Saturday evening. I enjoyed some good wine and ordered some food.

Huh? Where’s my Maultaschensuppe? Why did my main course come out? They told me they forgot, and I said forget it… Well, this looks voluminous, Linsen mit Spätzle. I am usually not a fan of lentils, but I was hungry so wanted something very hearty. There’s smoked bacon and sausage to help it along. I enjoyed a bit more wine, and I was pretty full. The other server came by to apologise for the mistake. No biggie. I was full. But this prompted me to head out. I strolled around town again and once again, the drunks annoyed the crap out of me so I just went back to hide in my disastrous hotel.

The next day I happily left and headed to Mannheim, where the Intercity was 180-degrees different, perfectly clean and beautiful. It’s always a crap-shoot with this chain… I dropped my bag and headed to Heidelberg, where I spent most of the day exploring this university town. I had some spare time, so I also dropped into Speyer, but thanks to a delayed train I got there too late to visit the historic Cathedral, so I just wandered around and headed on back to Mannheim.

I was completely worn out and hungry, having skipped lunch once again. I had planned to eat in Speyer, but with the spotty bus service there on a Sunday I didn’t dare. I found a place in Mannheim called Henninger’s Gutsschänke. Most of the town was partying still, so I hope it won’t be too busy.

I got there and it was not very busy. The menu looked interesting, but they had a few seasonal specials, so I went with it. Enjoyed some wine before my first item arrived, and I knew it was good as I could smell it before it even reached my table…

Proper Leberknödelsuppe, that lovely aroma of offal. This was a nice dish, although the broth wasn’t hot enough. After a few days, finally something quite good to eat. Then the main arrived, the braised wild hare…

Please don’t @ me for this. But it’s overcooked as usual, and a lot of the meat was really dried out. Plus it was bland, and the overcooking brought bone fragments all over the broth so no use to mop it up with bread. Sigh. This trek thru Baden-Württemberg has been awful in a culinary sense…honestly, in almost every sense…

I got talked into a dessert so I said fine. And perhaps it was a good decision as it was probably the best thing I had in the last few days. Walnußeis…

A nice walnut ice cream here, and a quick after-dinner drink and I thanked them and headed out and back to my hotel for some rest. Tonight was probably the best dinner of the 4 days here in Baden-Württemberg, but that’s not saying much. It’s been very disappointing food-wise, which is rare for me in Germany when it comes to traditional food. The sad thing? The best thing I ate in the last 4 days was the giant Schnitzel at Onkel Otto…

With all the transport problems and infrastructure issues, what is happening here in this part of Germany? Extremely disappointing 4 days, aside from the cemeteries. But in each and every town, from Freiburg to Mannheim, from Karlsruhe to Stuttgart, it has been disappointing in multiple ways, from the towns lousy with drunken youths (I know, Karneval time…) to massive transport fails, from crappy food to hotels that you wouldn’t want your worst enemy to stay in.

Sigh, I hate to see this last trip end so poorly. Well, off tomorrow morning for a short trek towards the north…and out of bloody Baden-Württemberg. WTF has happened to this region?

Ganter Brauereiausschank
Münsterplatz 18-20
Freiburg im Breisgau, Deutschland

Onkel Otto
Böblingerstraße 14

Weinhaus Stetter
Rosenstraße 32

Zum Becher
Urbanstraße 33
Stuttgart, Deutschland

Henninger’s Gutsschänke
T6 28-29
Mannheim, Deutschland

Review #2: Fernanda

27 February 2019

After that good lunch at SantoPalato and the insane journey back, I was spent. My arms were killing me… I tried to relax and deal with some trip logistics for tomorrow before I headed on out. I got going a bit later than planned and once again, a trying, overcrowded bus ride forced me to jump off early. I eventually made it to the Galleria Spada, a quaint little gallery that housed many beautiful paintings from Reni, Titian, Jan Brughel the Elder, Del Sarto, Passerotti, Guercino and others. The lighting was so piss poor you can barely see some of the paintings, which was a total shame.

I headed out just as it was about to close and slowly walked along the Tiber and hopped onto the tram for Trastevere. For my final meal in Italy, I decided to revisit one of my favourite places, Osteria Fernanda. I had a wonderful dinner there the last time I visited, and wanted to close out my Italian journey here, knowing how good it can be. I’ve been doing local foods most of this trip, except at Cucina Bacilieri in Ferrara, but I’m doing one last tasting menu in this country.

I arrived early as they opened, but some customers were already drifting in. The genial host/sommelier Andrea Marini wasn’t in, but the staff happily seated me near the door — which I didn’t mind since I was indicating I was warm (compared to most of the others). I relaxed and looked over the menu. I had thought of doing a pairing, but since Marini wasn’t here, I just went through the list and ordered a nice bottle of cesanese — a nice local wine you don’t find too often on wine lists around the world.

I happily went with the full (blind) tasting menu, knowing the kitchen would come up with some excellent dishes. I relaxed with my wine and soon a series of snacks arrived…

An interesting set, the fish maki made me chuckle a little. The chicken liver was nice, as was the skin fritter with herbs. The marshmallow also made me chuckle. I enjoyed that with more of my wine and then after a little while my first dish arrives, the squid…

I like this presentation, it’s imaginative and cute. The fried tentacles was a little under-seasoned, but done well. The body, a lovely wrap of squid with roe, was delicious. A nice start. Then the second dish, animelle…

I’ve never been a huge fan of sweetbreads; in fact it’s probably my least-liked offal. But this was a good dish, lovely flavours. The sauce really helped it along, the sweetbreads being very creamy and soft inside. Nice work. Then the third dish, cavolo nero.

Nice what the kitchen did here, a beautiful plate featuring the local kale. A little different prep, some of it is lightly fried, all with slices of truffle. Not a bad veggie dish here. At this point I can tell they are on the clock, as it’s remarkable that the dishes are coming out EXACTLY 15 minutes apart, almost no exception. Then I smiled when I saw the fourth dish, as I remember a similar item from last time…

They do plin so well here… This time a perfect seafood version, the cheese-filled pasta cooked so magnificently it’s hard to describe. The pasta is perfect, yet the centre is slightly cool so it doesn’t run too much. Works so well with the somewhat acidic brodo and the ventresca. Spectacular, the best dish so far.

I enjoyed more of my wine as the place is now pretty busy, and I see Signor Marini walking in the door with some wine. A quick greeting and I let him go do his work and he nodded approval at the wine I chose. Then the next pasta dish arrives…

An interesting raviolo here, focusing on the beef tartar and yolk. More truffles, which actually didn’t help this dish. A bit weak overall, but the quality of the raviolo cooking is excellent once again. Then the next past dish…

An odd rigatoni dish, very acidic. The snails helped it along a little, but it’s really the ricotta that helps to balance the profiles here with the acid and fermentation. Unfortunately pasta was a bit undercooked, a rare miss for this excellent kitchen. I noticed they broke the “15-minute rule” here for some reason…perhaps explaining the undercooking?

A bit of a hiccup, but I enjoyed more of my wine. It’s getting a little chaotic with the very busy dining room now as it’s nearly packed, and everyone is running around pretty frantically this busy Thursday evening. Then the next dish arrived and it’s one of my favourite fishes, triglia.

It’s hard to do the red mullet wrong, but sadly today’s version is one of them… This kitchen seems to be under pressure now with the crowd, sadly. The cooking was not good, scales got through so poor prep. I love sea snails, but this didn’t work, as its natural bitterness did not cut into the too-sweet sauce.

I’m starting to worry a little as we’ve had a few weak dishes now, not what I experienced last time. And service seems to be a little confused, and I’m also resigned to not get the eel dish I really wanted that I saw from the ala carte menu… But we’re back on the 15-minute clock and the next dish arrives, lingua.

As my readers know I love tongue, and I would choose it almost always on a menu. This was a pretty okay version, though nothing special — like the very similar dish I got last time here. The meat was cooked well like last time, but all the additions, ie dandelion and mustard, did not help much, and the glaze was overpowering — a very poor cousin from the lingua last time around…  Nowhere as good as at Al Pappagallo in Bologna a few days back as well, that’s for sure. Sigh…

Well, that was the savouries, no eel. I finished my wine, a bit saddened by the direction this dinner was moving. It all started well, when the restaurant wasn’t that busy, but the quality declined as the night got busy. Sigh… Then the first dessert dish arrived…

A vanilla and yuzu-centric dish, not bad, but it’s all dragging now. I also asked for some coffee and grappa when the second dessert arrived…

Huh? Truffles — the real ones, not the chocolate ones — for dessert? The coffee-centric dessert was quite odd, running on tamarind and hazlenut as well. Really odd, the flavours are all clashing here… I was glad for the coffee and finally, Signor Marini comes and pours a special grappa for me…

Finally got to relax a little with some light closers, reflecting on this evening — my last in Italy in a long, long time. It was a bit disappointing as I had such high expectations after my previous evening here, but the quality was really dependent on how busy the dining room was, and that’s never a good reflection on a kitchen if they cannot maintain basic consistency due to being busy.

Signor Marini perhaps noticed I was less than jovial compared to last time, so he came by and poured me another large helping of the good grappa. But I was also keeping an eye out on the bus schedule and there was a bus coming in soon, and the next would take ages, so I had to quickly settle up and thank him and head out the door.

I legged it to the bus stop, and see a bus flying down the hill that didn’t seem to want to stop, but I all but made it impossible for him to skip me, so… For a few early seconds during the bus ride back to Termini I sighed, as I so wished this dinner would have been a perfect closer to my Italian journey. It was good, but sadly there was so little consistency, especially as the dinner went along. Oh well, perhaps it’s metaphoric for this entire trip, right?

Addio, Italia…

Fernanda
Via Crescenzo del Monte 18/24
Roma, Italia

* Well, if you thought that was it, well…this BUS RIDE FROM HELL. The driver was smoking, only 1 other (struggling) passenger, he was RACING through Rome — including on roads that were NOT made for this speed. He did not care, I assume his shift was ending. If you wonder how bad it was (VOLUME ON)… We somehow made the 28-minute journey in about 12 minutes… With today’s idiocy after the Metro suspension, today was a brilliant but insane microcosm into Rome public transportaion extremes… Let’s hope there’s less drama going to Fiumicino tomorrow…

Review: SantoPalato

27 February 2019

My alarm came on early once again… My train out of Firenze to Rome isn’t until midday, but I had one more place I need to visit. I once again made an advanced purchase for a ticket to the Galleria dell’Accademia, and when I arrived I was one of very few who had done so. Once again I got in ahead of everyone else, since I knew the layout.

I rushed to get to David, knowing 99% of the visitors would do this — and crowd around the historic statue. But I wanted to get a good look quickly and head off, so I can really enjoy the Salone dell’Ottocento — where so many amazing statues by Bartolini and Pampaloni were located. Statues are hard to properly enjoy (and photograph) if there’s folks walking around, so I was glad to have the entire huge hall to myself as the crowd all gathered around David outside. I think I timed it well as I got to explore some amazing works by Del Sarto, Allori, Lippi, Fra Bartolomeo, Botticelli and others. I was also glad to visit the music instrument section, where several priceless Stradivarius instruments were displayed.

That was a busy early morning, and as I was heading out and really looking over the incomplete statues by Michelangelo that lined the hallway, I’m so glad I planned well. It really pays off in the end. I visited a few churches en route back to my hotel. I was hoping to grab one more lampredotto before I leave, but as I had a lunch booked in Rome I suppose I shouldn’t…

I got onto the fast train to Rome and that was a relaxing journey to Termini. I made my way to my hotel nearby and checked in. I love how you get to check in early nearly everywhere in Italy when it’s the off-season… I quickly headed back to Termini and hopped onto the Metro to get to my lunch destination, SantoPalato.

This eatery has gotten a LOT of international attention recently, and I was hoping for a good lunch — and hoping it wasn’t over-hyped. I booked a late lunch slot, and when I arrived it was packed and people were just finishing up. There was just 1 server, the poor lass was like a headless chicken running manic to serve everyone. Why did they have only 1 server?

Eventually she came to take my order and I relaxed. Took awhile for my wine to arrive, and I was getting worried about the chaos here. I enjoyed the wine before my antipasto arrived…

Not a bad dish of tripe here, done the local way. Delicious, perhaps not as nice as some of the ones I had this trip in Cagliari and Firenze, but good. Then I got a bit melancholic…I just remembered this is likely the last lunch I’ll have in Italy for a long, long time…

That caused me to have a big swig of wine, just as my first appeared…

Tuffoli con pajata, one of the most interesting local dishes. Tuffoli is a good pasta to go with the intestines of milk-fed veal, the sauce working very well here — although the pasta was perhaps just a touch undercooked. The last time I had this dish was years ago at London’s Bocca di Lupo, but this version was far richer, with a healthy amount of offal underneath — and better, despite the pasta.

I enjoyed more wine and as most of the crowd had departed, my server was far more relaxed and chatty. I hadn’t ordered a second at first as I didn’t know the portion sizes (this being Rome), so at this point I asked if the kitchen was shut — she said no, go ahead, so I ordered a second. I enjoyed more wine before it arrived, and in perfect Roman simplicity was bistecca di maiale…

Simple and delicious pork steak, cooked perfectly. Sometimes simple is best. A nice close, sensible portion, and I was full. I enjoyed a grappa and thanked my server as I headed out towards the Metro, as I need to do some trip logistics for the second part of my trip.

SantoPalato is a good Roman eatery, as much as you’d want for a good meal. Perhaps it was a bit chaotic service-wise at first, but it all worked out. Perhaps a little over-hyped also, but it’s solid for sure. Glad my last lunch in Italy was a good one.

SantoPalato
Piazza Tarquinia 4a
Roma, Italia

* Little did I know the clusterf**k that would ensue, as there was a suspension in the Metro due to a sick passenger. I guess when you can fully understand an announcement of transit diversion over a poor PA system, you know you can function in a language… Unlike others who just grumbled and waited, I ran out and walked the 10 minutes to a bus stop that would take me back to Termini. Bus was not very full, but that won’t last…

When we neared a Metro station, the sea of people was insane. People all over the streets, blocking traffic, and all tried to jam into the bus. The ride to Termini, which usually would take a few minutes, was an insane, nearly-half-hour hell. Everyone was crushed, and I ended up hanging by my arms as a baby stroller had completely taken up the standing area. As my arms were killing me on the ride, people started shoving and fighting, and several cries of “TI AMMAZZO!” were heard. I ended up jumping off the bus before my arms gave out or I dislocate one of my shoulders… So much for a relaxing afternoon in Rome…

Review: Club Culinario Toscano da Osvaldo

26 February 2019

After that lovely but salty lampredotto at Trippaio del Porcellino, I headed across the Arno and had a busy afternoon on the south side of the river. First stop was the Galleria Palatina in the historic Palazzo Pitti. As it was midday, I was hoping the tourist horde would be headed to lunch. It wasn’t that bad inside the gallery, so I managed to really enjoy many amazing pieces of artwork.

There is a large collection of paintings by masters like Raphael, Titian, Rubens, Lippi, Del Sarto, Fra Bartolomeo, Caravaggio and so many more. It’s all tighly placed like in salons, so aside from it being more accessible, it’s harder to really study — especially as the lighting is rather bad. And perplexingly, they had the drapes open, so sunlight was making it very hard to see many of the paintings. Sad when they don’t make it easy to enjoy the masterpieces…

I eventually went through the entire gallery and quickly went through the apartments that were open, and then headed off for my next destination south of the Arno, the Cimitero Evangelico agli Allori, the evangelical cemetery a bit on the south side of town. A beautiful cemetery, one very few people visit. My foot was killing me so I headed back. My bus didn’t go all the way to the hotel, so that made it convenient to drop into the Chiesa di San Salvatore di Ognissanti, where you can find the family tombs of Botticellli and Amerigo Vespucci amongst others. A beautiful church as well. But my phone battery was now under 5% so I slowly walked back to my hotel, feeling every bloody step with my bad foot…

I relaxed and did some packing, as I was heading out of Firenze tomorrow. I sorted out some trip logistics and then rested a little before I headed out for dinner. And once again, I was avoiding the steak, as I sought out a place called Club Culinario Toscano da Osvaldo.

I didn’t quite know what to expect as there’s little info on the website. I got there and relaxed, as it was a quiet night with only a few tables occupied. Not the first time that I was the only customer speaking Italian, but they kept getting confused and we had a good laugh a few times. I think they remembered once I ordered, as my order was not something tourists typically order.

A jug of local red came and I enjoyed it slowly before my antipasto arrived, and I smiled…

Cervellino fritto! Oh my this was nice, the brain is so creamy, cooked well in the breading…

I don’t eat brain too often, but when it’s done right it’s so good. I think the last time I had good fried brains was at Zu den 3 Hacken in Vienna… Nice start! Then my first arrives…

Umbrichelli is not a pasta you get too often, a specialty from Orvieto. This lovely dish featured sausage from Orvieto and truffles, bearing a divine aroma. I ended up having a wee chat with the server at this point, and that actually helped the thick pasta a little. Wonderful dish, I’m glad I picked this place.

I had a bit more wine and then my second arrives…

Agnello al buglione maremmano — lamb in a tomato stew that’s a specialty in Maremma, the south Tuscan coastal area. Smoked slightly, the flavour of the stew was nice though some of the meat had been stewed for a bit too long — which meant both blander meats and bone fragments getting too much into the stew. A huge portion, it was pretty good.

Now that was a pretty good dinner. I had finished all the food and now the wine, and my server came over and asked about dessert. I wasn’t sure, and asked for something light like macedonia, which got her laughing. She gave me a few ideas and oh well, why not, I went with a chocolate pie — similar to last night’s cake.

What is it with the wee slices here? I was full so not complaining, but it’s a tiny wedge, almost as wide as high! Oh well. I enjoyed some grappa and coffee too before I headed out. I thanked my server and enjoyed the brisk walk back to my hotel, the grappa having given my injured foot a bit more stability as I made it back to my hotel.

A pretty good dinner, not spectacular, but good. Enjoyed the brains and pasta, though the lamb stew could have been a bit better. But nice folks, a decent place for dinner in a tourist-infested town.

Club Culinario Toscano da Osvaldo
Piazza dei Peruzzi 3R
Firenze, Italia

Lampredotto Hunting in Firenze…

25-26 February 2019

Most people who travel to Firenze/Florence are looking to enjoy beef, especially the namesake bistecca alla fiorentina, but for me the focus has, is, and will always be offal. And in Firenze, the specialty is tripe, specifically lampredotto. For my first evening in town, I had a very offaly dinner at Il Magazzino, but I had almost mentioned that I grabbed a snack as lunch between visiting Santa Croce and the English Cemetery.

Yep, I went lampredotto hunting. My readers are asking, Mel and street food? The person that didn’t go eat street food whilst in Bangkok a few months ago? Well, the quick answer is — it was 35c in Bangkok, and it was 15c in Firenze. The latter was tolerable! So before my trip I had a list of lampredotto carts around town and depending on where I was, I would check it out. And between Santa Croce and the English Cemetery, the target was Tripperia Pollini.

This humble cart is located very near the historic Loggia del Pesce, and it was still relatively early. Perhaps sacrilegious for some lampredotto afficionados, I ordered it in vaschetta…

Oh my this looks good. They asked about the sauces and I told them be liberal with the hot sauce, and this had a wonderful bite; that’s why I went in vaschetta. Lovely quality lampredotto too, but the spiciness really gives turns an excellent dish into a wonderful one. Oh, I’m happy! I used the bread they did give me and mopped up the sauce and broth — again, why I ordered it in vaschetta. This fuelled my for the rest of the day’s exploration that lasted until that nice dinner at Il Magazzino.

I didn’t manage to catch up on much sleep overnight as I had to wake up early and rush off to the Uffizi. One of the most amazing art galleries in the world, I smartly reserved tickets ahead of time, so the pick-up queue was quite limited if you get there early. I got my ticket and watched all the people struggle up the stairs and once again, like yesterday at the Bargello, I was ahead of the entire crowd. It’s amazing when you have so many masterpieces to yourself… Amazing works by Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Lippi, Botticelli, Reni, and so many more…

I was amazed how I had so much time alone with some of the greatest masterpieces in history…it just shows if you know how to approach the museum, and do a little research, and not get bogged down and led astray by a crowd. I even got to double back to the Giotto section once the initial rush went past to hit the Botticelli section. But after a few hours, I exhausted the museum, and myself. I headed out, and I was hungry…

Like yesterday, I found the nearest place for lampredotto near my location, and today’s destination is Trippaio del Porcellino. Located next to the busy and popular Mercato del Porcellino, I arrived to see some folks already having their snack. I once again ordered it in vaschetta and soon it was handed to me…

Oh my, once again…this was a far larger portion (a little more expensive, but worth it). The way it was sliced was different, and this was actually a little too salty but even spicier than yesterday’s. If it was just a tad less salty this would have been total perfection; tho overall it was better than last night’s slightly under-seasoned version at Il Magazzino. But once again, excellent…

I was happily fuelled up and I headed towards the Ponte Vecchio across the Arno to continue my exploration of Firenze. But overall, all three lampredotto experiences were quite good in their own way. Lunch on day 1 at Pollini was excellent, love the combination of flavours. Dinner at Il Magazzino was lovely, though a tad under-seasoned. Lunch on day 2 here at Porcellino was fabulous, albeit too salty. But I’d be happy to eat any of the three again, any time!

All highly recommended! My only regret was running out of time and energy both days and not doing a second lunch stop… And please, don’t @ me for not eating it as a sandwich…you can see exactly why I ordered it in vaschetta…

Tripperia Pollini
Piazza Sant’Ambrogio
Via dei Macci 126

Trippaio del Porcellino
Piazza del Mercato Nuovo
Via di Capaccio
Firenze, Italia

Review: Il Magazzino

25 February 2019

I hate to leave Bologna, which has been a pleasant surprise this trip, but it’s time to run off to Firenze. Not been back in Tuscany for about 20 years, so it’s long past due. I know Florence is utterly rammed with tourists, but hopefully it’s not as bad as once tourism season really heats up in March.

I hopped onto the fast train at dawn and was into Firenze at about 7.30am. Love when train travel works out… I dropped my bag off, argued with the bus ticket sales desk about why they suspended day tickets sales, and headed off by foot. Talking about foot, it’s not that good after yesterday’s wee accident in the cemetery, but I made it to the Bargello early and was 2nd in the queue. Surprisingly few people visited this amazing museum early on, which means I got to spend a lot of solo time with amazing sculptures by Michelangelo, Donatello, Bernini, Rustici, Cellini and so forth.

Since there were so few around, I managed to finish the museum quicker than imagined as I didn’t need to wait to see anything. As I was heading out, I can see a growing crowd for this Monday morning — as this is one of the few museums that’s open on a Monday. I then headed to the historic Basilica di Santa Croce, where the tombs of some of the most important individuals in cultural history are entombed — Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Rossini, Ghiberti and so forth. Quite amazing… So many folks didn’t do their research so despite being behind a bunch of people, I had clear runs at the key tombs first. Then I slowly explored the complex for the next hour or so, marvelled at the tombs and artisty.

Already having done so much this morning, I headed to grab a snack that became lunch. Will discuss this offaly break in the next entry… Then as I was running a little ahead of schedule, I ran to the Cimitero degli inglesi (“English” Cemetery) to visit some of the historic tombs during their short opening schedule on a Monday, visiting tombs of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the original tomb of Joel Tanner Hart, and so many more. Cared for very well, but not fond of the young jackhole annoying me for donations every 5 minutes knowing he probably pocketed the offerings into the donation box…

I was totally knackered but I still had some energy, so managed to visit the historic Basilica di San Lorenzo and the adjacent Cappelle Medicee. Fantastic, though the amount of scaffolding inside the Chapel was quite annoying. But at this point I was utterly spent, and my phone battery was at 6%, so it’s time to head back to check into my hotel and get some rest — especially for this very painful foot.

I had to do some unpacking and ironing and other trip logistics, but most of all to get a bit of a rest before dinner. My hotel had helped me book a table at Osteria Tripperia Il Magazzino, one of the more talked-about offal-centric places in town. I eventually got there a little early, but I was hungry and they were open.

 

They sat me at a table near a long, set table — so I knew a big group was coming in. Oh great. But I looked over the menu and smiled…this is what I was looking for, totally. I ordered and again they were surprised at me speaking smooth enough Italian… I guess for a city overwhelmed with international tourism that’s not a usual thing. I relaxed with my wine, a nice bottle of chianti from nearby, and soon the antipasto arrived.

 

Mmmm, tongue. Not bad at all, sliced over a salad. Nowhere as good as last night’s amazing tongue at Al Pappagallo in Bologna, but good enough. A good portion. A bit more of the nice wine and then the first appears, and it’s a special of the house.

Lovely pasta here, cooked just perfectly. The sauce was fantastic, a ragù of products from the trippaio. One of the best dishes of pasta I had on this entire trip, just fabulous. 20 seconds either way on the chitarra would have diminished its quality. Awesome. I was pretty happy, even as the big group came in and was quite boisterous. Most of the customers are local or Italian tourists, so that’s a good sign. Then after a little, my second arrived, and I smiled…

Oh my, this lampredotto bollito is just fabulous. I love the abomasum (4th stomach) the most, as it’s the most flavourful of the four for me generally — especially when cooked well. And this was cooked well. Perhaps a tad underseasoned, but it was really good. Fabulous dinner.

I finished off my wine as well, but was enjoying this so decided to have a dessert. My server read off a few ideas and I went with the chocolate cake…

Not bad, but a very thin slice to be honest. A bit of a letdown, but I was full. And that group next to me was starting to get really annoying, so I asked for a grappa and headed on out, thanking my server.

Perhaps not as fabulous as I would hoped, but it was quite good. That pasta was fantastic, and the lampredotto too — if it had just been seasoned a bit better. Good tongue, good wine, it’s a good place. And quite inexpensive too. Very much recommended, very chilled place — especially if you like tripe like me!

Il Magazzino
Piazza della Passera 2/3
Firenze, Italia