Man

You may know already, but I just discovered it now when considering a return visit to Giardinetto in Mayfair: it has closed. Giardinetto offered some good quality and original dishes in the Mayfair fine dining Italian scene, but in the end it was just another overpriced and pointless Italian restaurant in London. It was no match for that stalwart Alloro just a stone's throw away (not to mention the real Italian gems in the vicinities). R.I.P.

You could ask the same question for a nicely presented dish. Do you destroy the art? Of course you do: art in food is designed to be temporary. It's that fleeting, mood-setting visual enjoyment that prepares you for the core sensory experience. In other words, just go ahead, sugar and mix!

This post and last year's somehow make me suspect you don't much like the GR Anyway, as most will know, the 'communist' (not really, see discussion in the therad) leader Bonilli was ousted in a corporate coup this year, so this is the last edition that bears his mark. Next year's edition may show some change of direction, though I doubt it will be dramatic. I won't know anyway because I do not read the GR guide.

'La scarpetta' is one of the great pleasures in life! It's not really good manners, but I have started doing it even in high end restaurant (discreetely and with the bread on the fork rather than in my hand) when the dish deserves it. No chef ever complained...As Divina recounts, probably the only occasion when you cannot do it is when you are invited by a host who is as stern as she is wealthy...

In the experience of this particular Italian, there are no hard and fast rules, moral, social or otherwise, in respect of pizza eating. I have seen it all, and no usage strikes me as strange. I myself sometimes use my hands and sometimes I don't. The perception of rudeness is more asociated with the general attitude (slurping, technique of insertion in the mouth) than with the use of cutlery. Not the same for spaghetti...There we do have definite mental barriers. If you cut your spaghetti you can only prove yourself to belong to one of two categories (or both): child or foreigner. You'll be looked upon with pity and astonishement, as somebody who cannot master a basic skill. Spoon for spaghetti is an interesting thing. Most people do not use it, but using it does not attract the same reaction as cutting the pasta. Much depends on the skill and agility with which you do it, which again allows a prompt classification into Italian or foreigner.

I haven't been to RC, but I'd agree that Locatelli is clearly superior to Zafferano. This said, for the life of me I just do not get what people find at Locatelli that they do not find at Latium or Semplice, except higher prices. For all its charms and correctness, to us Italians Locatelli's cuisine feels distinctly conservative. If you want to get an idea of what contemporary high end Italian cuisine is about, there is no alternative to going to Italy, as in London it's impossible to even get close. (given the RC prices, it may even turn out cheaper...).

I second hathor: i have had the chance to follow i fratelli Leoni at Il Sole in Trebbo over the years: many things have changed but the cuisine remains one of the best, in my opinion. My latest visit was January this year, report here click

Well...since nobody answered I guess nobody knew. But now I know! THE place where to go for fresh fish (and more) is: Da Barbara (on the strada provinciale Cagliari-Villasimius, localita' Solanas). (Careful not to confuse with Santa Barbara nearby, not too bad but not as good). This is a little gem, your typical family run place where superbly fresh materials are simply and traditionally cooked, but where the room is run and decorated with modern criteria, and where the wine list rises well above the choice between 'vino della casa' and another one...Don't miss their home made desserts (traditional seadas, and fried ravioli with ricotta di pecora). Astounding prices, too. The place to avoid (shamefully listed on ViaMichelin) Cala Caterina (via Lago Maggiore 32 I - 09049 VILLASIMIUS) ViaMichelin says: 'A fascinating dining hall with a fine choice of interesting menus.'. Rubbish. It was rubbish from beginning to end, with the capital sin of Italian cuisine (pasta not cooked on the spot) just the most glaring insult. And the most expensive of the places we tried in the area. (Pics and more extended comments will follow in due course at our place.)

Number Twelve may well be a good compromise as it is 'borderline' Italian cuisine, definitely not dominated by pasta dishes. I like what the chef (Santino Busciglio) is doing, with a light, airy style of cuisine that nevertheless leaves an impression. Ingredients are excellent, with great care also in the selection of olive oils (obviously crucial for Italian dishes). I agree (unsurprisingly) with salutistagolosa above that Maurizio Morelli at Latium makes the most interesting and imaginative Italian cuisine in London (we go every week!), but for your taste it is maybe too pasta dominated, with ravioli even making it into dessert territory. The prices are astonishing for the quality, anyway. To us Italians, Locatelli is a great interpreter of traditional Italian cuisine in all its richness, with very precise execution (in my experience - I have read differing opinions) and deep flavours that touch your soul. The problem is, it is almost too traditional, and after a lifetime of eating the stuff, we tend to look for something just a little more adventurous. But as an introduction to classical Italian, it may be the best, even if it a little overpriced. I really do not understand what Theo Randall is about. I admit I went only once, but when I did it was so grotesque compared to his reputation I am not yet prepared to give it another try. At Zafferano, there is some good cooking going on, mixed with even more hype. I find their pasta dishes below par, though their mains and desserts are top notch at least by London Italian standards. But then again, Marco Torri at Semplice is (in my opinion) definitely superior to Zafferano, and probably saving you a few quids too (incidentally, he makes risotto in the Gualtiero Marchesi tradition (the first Italian 3 star, now 2), so you have the bonus of trying a bit of Marchesi there... I haven't found the heart to try Assaggi and River Cafe', though I know I should. I just find it difficult to go for ingredients alone when I could probably take a Ryanair flight to Italy and find even better ingredients better treated and at less cost, trip included... Finally, I agree with a previous poster that the Italian restaurant scene in London is disconcerting: there is such a gulf between the exciting ideas high level chefs are carrying out in Italy and what they are allowed by the public to do here, that it takes your breath away (I called Morelli the most imaginative in London, but if he were in Italy, he would probably be at the innovative end of the spectrum - he just can't do that here if he wants to have a business). A shame really, this great world city would deserve more.

Interesting. Obviously restaurants do have to solve huge logistic problems one way or the other and do things that grandma woulddn't have done. However, I think that beyond the strict necessity, one should do the best not to make the situation worse. Even granting that it's impossible to eat freshly cut chips in a restaurant (which still sounds too sad to be true!), baking them in the sun-warmed water is certainly not a necessity. And even more concerning seems to me the situation with the dairy products: aren't there laws about controlled temperature? Would it really take so much to organise deliveries in a better way than shown in the photos? And what signal does the current method send about the overall standards at the Narrow?

I think I'll give this place a miss. Their handling of deliveries is, I think, borderline legal, and their chips are none too inspiring: here

Woman and I are going to spend 12 days on the coast East of Cagliari in September. Any recommendation for eating out -from humblest trattoria to fine dine- warmly appreciated! (Last year we tried the Michelin starred S'Apposentu in Cagliari which unfortunately has folded)

In what is for me the best Italian restaurant in London, Chef Maurizio Morelli used to have monkfish with mozzarella on the menu. To be fair, though, it was one of my least favourite dishes...

You'd be surprised how good a meal at Spizzico or Autogrill can taste during a layover ← Yes, when I stop over in Fiumicino I have a light meal at Autogrill or the other chain (not Spizzico, is it MyChef?) whose name I forget. Obviously it's not haute cuisine, or even haute trattoria, but as far as airport food is concerned it's quite OK. You can have very decent quality pork chops grilled on the spot, for example (and at a resonable price). Let's say it bears at least as much resemblance to proper Italian food as Yo Sushi in Gatwick bears to proper Japanese. The coffee is also excellent (I miss a good&cheap Roman espresso so much both in Trento and London, where I mostly live...).

There are many 'agriturismo' (converted farms) around Alghero that do full blown traditional meals (generally it's 'land cuisine', with their classic skewered baby pork, home made cheeses, sausages and game at their core, rather than sea offerings). The quality is in general good, but the best in my opinion is Sa Mandra http://www.aziendasamandra.it/ Only one strong advice if you go for dinner: skip lunch! m

Sorry Pedalaforte, obviously not too many botanists among us...I can only help 'negatively' by saying it is probably a root distinctive to the North West. I have spent the last few months in the North East Alps, taking regular mountain walks, each time from well below the snowline to well deep in the snow, and while I have often noticed locals picking herbs at lower altitudes, I have never seen any human picker so high up in the mountains (I assume that in late May the snowline in your parts must be like here well above 1500m.). I have met chamois but their dialect must be even less comprehensible than Piemontese...

yeah, feash flavours are my favourite...also fResh.

The Head Chef at Number Twelve is Santino Busciglio. I like his cuisine a lot. It has an Italian influence and style, but it's not Italian. Quite original, really, with very feash, neat flavours. m

Such a late time sounds Mediterranean, so... ...if you are punctual you may be just in time to sample Marco Torri's cuisine at Semplice in Blenheim Street. A bit further North in Berners Street, Latium has (in my opinion) the best Italian chef in London (Maurizio Morelli) and opens till 3.00 m.

That's correct. When you buy it, songino is sometimes used as synonimous with 'valeriana', but I'm not sure about the botanical correctness of the usage. And to complicate things there's also 'valerianella'...

As an Italian who has been living in the UK for 20 years and is still grappling with the language, I sympathise. About 'al' and 'alla', here's a little tip to avoid any embarrassment: skip the determinate article and just use 'con' (no puns, please...): scaloppine con Marsala! It doesn't sound quite as smooth as the 'real one', but it's correct and it holds its own on a menu. And if you add other ingredients, it actually even sounds good: scaloppine con Marsala, pinoli e uvetta; risotto con Barbera, verza e burro di malga... I am feeling hungry.

Speaking personally...I wouldn't be either horrified or annoyed, but I would definitely take that as a hint that the speaker is a foreigner or not very knowledgeable about Italian wines (or both). So I agree with markk that if I saw it on a menu, in both cases I would be slightly put off...(OK, thus betraying my insufferable chauvinism and unjustified mistrust of foreigners at the stove in Italian restaurants, for which the only cure is clearly a meal in a certain place in Umbria...). In the game of feminine wines, what about a delicious dessert wine produced (among other places) in the Lipari islands? That is a tough call, as I have heard it sometimes referred to with 'il' though in my opinion it is definitely a 'la'. Man

If you want to make them 'alla' you could make them 'alla Marsalese'. Otherwise, it'll have to be 'al Marsala'. As for feminine wines, there's more beside Barbera...Which famous wine do you find in San Gimignano for example? Man

I would highly recommend Trentino. Nature is fantastic and as rural as it gets. In the Trento province itself there are several excellent and well-priced choices, from starred restaurants to simple trattorias. And Trento is one hour from Verona or from the Lombardy part of Lake Garda, both places where great food adventures can be had. I normally don't advertise here but the choices are too numerous to list in a post, so if you wish you may look here for suggestions. Ultimately though I agree with Hathor that you'll be happy in many places, Umbria most certainly one of them.

But that is 'crema di riso' rather than risotto... For risotto, the main controversy among Italian fanatics seems to be about the varieties Carnaroli and Vialone Nano, with opinions tending to differ as you move from North East to North. A crucial aspect is the quantity of starch released during the cooking. (To get the crucial creaminess, you rely both on starch and on the final mantecatura with milky fats.). Flavour of course is also important and different varieties have different flavours. Basmati has a wonderful flavour but is real shit for the standard risotto cooking technique. If I remember the program alluded to correctly, Blumenthal 'solved the problem' with one of his sleights of hand: making a Basmati flavoured stock to be added to 'proper' risotto grains. Basically, there is great latitude in the interpretation of risotto, and you have to find your own through experimentation. The great old master Marchesi, for example, does not even use stock for some of his classics. And the modern master Cracco pairs chocolate and anchovies in his risotto, something not every traditionalists would look upon kindly... man