Tag Archives: Michelin star

Il Palagio, Four Seasons, Florence

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Refined and ravishing, the Four Seasons Florence is perhaps the most dazzling of the Four Seasons properties I have visited. Before entering Il Palagio, the Michelin-starred hotel restaurant, we had time to take a peek at the palatial central courtyard and the luscious flower-filled gardens.

The resplendent dining room was empty when we sat down for an early dinner but soon filled up with couples celebrating special occasions. Lilac roses adorned the tables, chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and impressive paintings covered the walls.

Upon settling down at our table, we were presented with glasses of Ca’del Bosco, a lovely bubbly from Erbusco, which served as the perfect aperitivo.

Iberico de Bellota ham Joselito ‘Gran Reserva’ was an unconventional choice in a top Italian restaurant but we couldn’t resist trying a plate of this superior cured meat. It didn’t disappoint, presented with wonderfully ripe green figs.

‘Bollito’ beef salad with frisée and roasted peppers cream was a very authentic and traditional recipe, made from slow-cooked beef. The meat was richly flavoured and paired with a light red pepper dressing, it didn’t look particularly appetising but it tasted divine.

Ravioli is my all time favourite dish and on Italian menus it is what I look for first. After discovering a delicious ravioli option on the Il Palagio menu, I didn’t even need to look at the rest of the pasta list – my mind was made up. Ricotta cheese and zucchini raviolini with tomato sauce was exquisite, so fresh, completely homemade, with lightly grilled courgette flowers and basil – it makes me salivate to remember it now.

My guest, a seafood fan, chose the Cavatelli pasta ’cacio e pepe’ with marinated red prawns and baby squid. A pale and pretty bowl of aromatic pasta covered in the most addictive, creamy sauce. The seafood was ultra-fresh and a lovely addition.

Roasted ‘Cinta Senese’ suckling pig with apple crème, glazed pig trotters,braised onion and black cabbage was the ideal meat option. A pretty layout of different ingredients and components on the plate, every mouthful was a delight. The meat was tender and delicious, covered in a smooth, sweet gravy. We managed to scrap the plate clean even after our big bowls of pasta.

After a petite course of the finest soft and hard cheeses and a sweet amuse-bouche of sorbet and melon it was time for desserts. Pudding was the least exciting course, slightly forgettable hazulnut and cream cake and a chocolate cylinder with a caramel sauce. Macarons, limoncello and coffee completed the Michelin starred meal.

A truly elegant hotel, a beautiful dining room and a kitchen producing excellent food, Il Palagio is hard to fault, a real Florentine masterpiece.

More information and book here.

Many thanks to Firenze Cards and the Florence Tourist board for their help with this trip.

Pollen Street Social, West End

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Jason Atherton seems to be in-charge of the London restaurant scene at the moment, last month he opened his third restaurant of the year, and the reviews are just getting better and better. I visited his original London eatery Pollen Street Social recently to understand why his food is so sought after.

The set lunch menu has to be one of the best value michelin-star choices on offer in London (two courses for £26, or three courses for £29.50). They don’t skimp on extras either, we enjoyed the pre-starter nibbles and the palette cleanser enormously.

On a Friday lunchtime the large west end dining room was full to the brim: jolly business lunches, family catchups and romantic couples surrounded us.

Pumpkin and Parmesan velouté was a comforting and intriguing starter served with chunks of pickled apples and pears (tangy and surprising), and brioche crumbs (seriously moreish). The meaty mosiac game terrine was a less creative recipe though the plate looked beautiful, decorated with elderberries and cobnuts.

Our mains were exquisite. I must admit I was sceptical about the chocolate and orange roast partridge but it exceeded all my expectations, one of the best main courses I have had in a while. The Red-legged partridge was cooked to perfection, amazingly tender white meat with a delightful crisp edge. Celeriac, kale and game chips (more like crisps) complete the dish. My only complaint, it arrived luke warm. My guest loved the braised Lake District lamb neck with “haggis, neeps & tatties” – a modern take on a classic British dish. It was a large portion but he seemed to have no trouble polishing it off.

We decided to try just one option from the dessert menu, opting to share passion fruit sorbet with vanilla sable, meringue and coriander foam. Taste wise it had a strong fruity flavour but was the least exciting of the courses. We were more impressed by the super thin shards of sweet meringue.

Pollen Street used to be a dingy, dark, damp alleyway but never again will it be seen that way. Jason Atherton turns every site he touches to gold and from now on Pollen Street will be forever glorified by his fine cuisine.

More information and book here: www.pollenstreetsocial.com

Vun restaurant, Milan

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Hotel restaurants can often get away with being rather mediocre, serving overpriced and uninteresting food and yet filling the dining room every night. However once in a while you come across a hotel restaurant really worth seeking out, whether you’re staying in the accommodation or not. The Park Hyatt in Milan is an example of this, a beautiful hotel in the heart of the city with a truly special Michelin-starred restaurant onsite. Just steps away from the magnificent Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and close to the Duomo, this is one of the best located luxury hotels in Milan.

The very approachable A5 sized English menu is clear and easy to navigate, which can be a real blessing for non-linguists. Vun offers you a choice of two dishes and dessert with coffee for a reasonable €52, or dishes can be ordered individually, as you wish. The staff were very accommodating of our request to share our meat course and helped us decide, pointing out the chef’s most spectacular recipes.

After toasting our arrival in Milan with a glass of Prosecco, we began our meal of reinvented Italian classics. We tried a selection from the main menu and can now recommend with confidence the four top dishes you must try.

To start, the most ethereal, spherical and peculiar caprese salad I have ever seen. Less of a salad, more of a sculptural work of art. It is almost too magical to touch or eat. A contrast of sweet and salty components, the main feature is a startlingly bright white ball: thick mozzarella foam encased in a fragile outer shell. Once broken the gooey cheesey interior contrasted well with the bed of sweet tomato.

I always find it a challenge choosing from an array of tempting pasta dishes but I’d heard that the “Fettucia” was unmissable. I have to agree. The thick strands of homemade pasta from Gragnano is cooked in a simple creamy sauce made with egg yolk and aged Parmesan cheese, flavoured with the distinctive and refined taste of summer truffles. It looked as spectacular as it tasted, topped with fine truffle shavings.

For main course we opted for Black Pork with cherries, smoked eggplant and cocoa Crüe. It was a rich and romantic dish, an intensely flavoured cherry-infused piece of meat. The smoked eggplant and cocoa added depth and balanced out the caramelised meat. It was an unusual range of flavours which I was initially sceptical about, but it worked miraculously well.

For dessert we chose two to share, our favourite was the light and succulent Peaches with white chocolate, Evo and Jasmine tea. Carefully arranged on a huge plate, there were so many different elements to admire. Peach and white chocolate is a popular pairing and here, with a hint of Jasmine tea, the flavours were wonderful. We easily polished it off, the finale of our four course feast.

Vun is proof that you don’t have to travel far for a fine meal in Milan – it is an asset to the hotel, a real bonus for guests staying here.

More information here: www.ristorante-vun.it