I felt like popping in to Paris and seeing Moka for quite a few months, but it took time, her dad died, our catch- up had to wait. But I got there in the end, last Friday.

We spent a very nice weekend together, we still have the connection, like did 25 years ago at college. Vino still tastes great together, the things we talk about changed a bit ( peri-menopause!….:-).

Moka patiently took me around Paris, we ate well, as always. Saturday morning I inhaled 2 wonderful croissants, nevermind my wasteline. I’m pleased to say that mine are not far from the French ones, if only I had that wonderful French salted butter.

We stopped for coffee and some more pastry, as Moka said I had to try a cinnamon bun full of butter ( surprise!), sprinkled with sea salt flakes, divine, we shared it and struggled to finish it, after the tiny breakfast we had.

For dinner Moka led the way to a Lebanese place, a first for me, as I don’t know much about middle eastern food, but I liked it a lot. Never had confit lamb before, this one was as soft as you like, gently, but confidently spiced. Hummus, different than mine, moreish, excellent with Malbec.

Then, for Sunday lunch we went to Vaudeville, a traditional French, popular spot, which I loved before I even tasted anything. Such nice ambience and always a pleasure to watch a well trained waiter at work. This place was full them. We shared some duck pate with green salad, then cozze for Moka, beef tartare for me, wonderful fries.

We then saw a waiter passing by with a stunning looking dessert, which I had only seen on Masterchef before, but I knew this was the place and time to try it, so we shared a floating island. Drizzled with salted caramel and sprinkled with well toasted almonds, what a treat that was.

Possibly the best thing I had during the whole weekend.

Orly airport had a lot more to offer than Pisa one, I wasn’t surprised to see a Laduree shop there, but I didn’t go in, not a single macaron this time, my sweet tooth and an obsession with them belong to the past. For the best I guess.

Most delicious weekend. I hope we’ll do it again soon.

For our second mid week trip in search of great food with the Svedesi, we invited Molly and Enrico along. Enrico crashed out last minute, but Molly came and having dropped off the kids at school at 8.30, we boarded tesla and headed to Bolgheri. For us it was the second time. Beautiful, warm day in excellent company.

Having had a coffee and a walk around town, having purchased some vino, we started paying attention to the menus displayed outside of the restaurants and ended up in La Cantinetta di Bolgheri.

An absoluetly superb service. The owner, a chunky lady with a good sense of humour looked after us really well, made sure Molly was taken care of with her dietary requirements, served us 2 bottles of great Bolgheri with lunch- it was the third choice of wine, as the other two, we were told were out of stock.

We started with a tagliere of meats and cheese and some bruschetta. Beautifully presented, delicious, especially the artichokes.

Daniel had a plate of pasta, Molly some eggs, then baked aubergine, I have fallen into a trap of tagliata di “wagyu”. I should have known better that at 25 euro it ain’t no wagyu, but I still did. The meat was chewy, had zero marbling, a bit of disappointment. Courtney and Daniel chose a beef cheek in a sensational wine reduction, of which I had tasted a bit and I wished I had chosen it. It wasn’t as soft and gelatinous as the cheeks I used to cook in England, but it was delicious and I’m thinking maybe a visit to macelleria will be in order soon.

Florek had gone for a beef tartare with truffles in a freeky charred bun, that was a very pretty plate.

Excellent meal with lovely people, Daniel did Sergio’s trick and paid the bill on the way to the loo. Grrr!!!

After the coffee we were so stuffed that in the evening we skipped dinner altogether (apart from Izzie) and had only some green tea. Oh, and towards the end the owner brought us a bottle of wine we ordered as a first choice, turned out there was one last bottle and it was given to us free of charge. Will be enjoyed next Saturday while we celebrate Izzie’s birthday.

Last Sunday we were invited to Casa Linden for one of those great, Italian lunches,where, after 4-5 hours of eating and drinking one just wants to have a nap on a sofa somewhere, so it’s time to go home. Courtney and Daniel prepared a selection of delicious things to start with and then we all made our own pizzas, which were then baked in the oven on the terrace. The kids had a blast, fun and creative way to get them involved.

Molly made an appearance with her brand new short haircut, away went the wig, she looked radiant and healthy, but continues on a strict diet, so with Courtney they had a pumpkin soup with wonderful fresh eggs, of which we also got a few.

Later in the evening I started a new WhatsApp group for us, Boaratis and Svedesi, we had such a good time together. Next time we’ll repeat this here, Izzie’s birthday will be an excellent excuse to have them all around.

Last week we were mostly child free, as The Child was enjoying some skiing up in Sestola, school trip. I had made some plans well ahead and thought it would be great to finally go and see Modena, a bit more than 2 hours drive. We invited The Swedes along and ended up having a great day out together. The Swedes are always a good bet when it comes to company; they eat, they drink, they’re great to talk to and are severely allergic to any sort of bullshit, one of the reasons we get along well.

So we drove to Modena, parked the car and walked up to Piazza Duomo, past Bar Pavarotti, took a few moments to enjoy the views and went to Mercato Albinelli, following the footsteps of Robert Maklowicz, it was lunch time afterall.

We had a delicious lunch of some smoked fish- never before had smoked tuna or smoked swordfish before, both were fantastic. After that fish based secondi, nicely watered down with some Lambrusco ( when in Emilia Romagna……).

Next stop was Azienda Agricola Moscattini, which I had booked a couple of weeks in advance. We wanted to see one of many places where parmigiano reggiano is being made. And we ended up having a private tour, just the 4 of us and lovely Alessia. We were shown the process of cheese making, cheese storing and then sat down to cheese tasting; we were given parmigiano of 12,24,36 and 50 months old, some cured meats, honey, local bread and a bottle of Lambrusco. We ended up bringing home a piece of 50 month old parmigiano and some honey, among other treats.

The plan is to make this sort of trips more frequent together, hopefully we can make this happen. 🙂

Yesterday was my birthday, the last one with 4 in the front. All 3 Bankses headed out to Da Pasquale again, which is now my favourite place to eat in Lucca. Nonna Clara is great, but Pasquale’s place is just such a treat in every way. The olive oil on the table is fantastic, the service so good, they should bottle and sell it. The food. Where do I start. Third time in a row Florek had their beef tartare and was forced to share it with us. Grilled filled steak, my main last night so tender, it must have been resting a long time. Delicious truffle mayo on the side, of which I asked for some more, sooooo good.

Izzie had some pasta with seabream, but while we had starters she received a small portion of house caponata. She famously detests olives and aubergines, but she was bribed by Florek and ended up eating almost half of her portion and got paid for it. I helped with the rest- a wonderful caponata, sweeter than any of those I tasted in Sicily. Without peppers, without tomatoes, lots of raisins. I would so love their recipe. So that was a first for Izzie, who also was wearing a bit of mascara for the first time ever last night….

My favourite thing last night was one from the specials board, grilled octopus with chickpea puree, some grilled peppers on the side, I could eat three times as much of it. I think the time will come when I’ll have to master cooking octopus.

Pasquale sells the wine he serves in his restaurant, so we went home with a handsome bottle of Bolgheri we enjoyed with dinner.

Can’t wait to go back, maybe we’ll take the Swedes with us, Daniel just said they have never been there.

It’s been a busy and intense week, Florek’s 45th birthday on Wednesday, our 8th wedding anniversary on Thursday and then a lot of prep for the birthday party I decided to throw for Florek, that was yesterday. It’s lovely to sit on the sofa now with a big mug of tea and rest, now all is done.

Izzie went for a sleepover to her friend’s on Thursday, which meant we were child free and could go and dine in a place that doesn’t have pizza margharita on the menu. I was lucky to book us a table in Osteria Da Pasquale; we’ve been there once before with Steve and Christina, I remember it being good, but can’t recall a single thing we have eaten back then. The dinner we had on Thursday was one of the best meals we’ve had in Italy so far. THAT good!

As soon as we sat down we were greeted with a glass of prosecco and a bag of delicious bread. We quite quickly decided what we wanted to eat, and so I started with scallops with Tropea onions, the dish that Dennis said was exquisite, Florex went for beef tartar, just perfect, not overseasoned, fresh and delicious.

Then I went for lamb, that day’s special, Florek had a beef fillet, cooked raw, super tender, according to him one of the best steaks ever. My lamb was super tender with a delicious sweet red wine sauce, my only complain was – I had wanted more of it!

The bread was excellent and so were 2 kinds of olive oil served with it, so good( local) that we ended up buying a bottle and I think we’ll open it this evening.

To finish with we had some lovely, wobbly pannacotta and some cannoli (Pasquale is Siciliano).

Only a glass of Bolgheri each, we were being good.

An excellent meal, I can’t wait to go back.

Last week we visited Sardegna. We stayed in a lovely hotel right by the sea, ate our way through various restaurants in Cala Gonone, enjoyed a lovely, clean, warm sea.

My favourite spot to eat was discovered on the very first day, which wasn’t difficult, as it was right next to the hotel, ristorante “Il pescatore”. It seemed like a family run joint, with a lady in charge of a young team. My first taste of pane carasau, which they seem to serve everywhere we went, alongside the regular bread. I loved it, brought lots home with us.

Insalata di polpo, so good, sooooo gooood!!!! Fresh, soft octopus, sitting in some wonderful olive oil, lemon juice and some lemon zest too, probably my favourite plate in the whole week.

They also make a beautiful job out of prawn tempura, the dipping sauce could be more exciting, the prawns were flawless.

Florek enjoyed a tuna tartare there, wonderful fresh fish, shy on seasoning. Maybe they figure that the fish so good doesn’t need much?

On our second visit I asked for a catch of the day, grilled, which the guy de-boned for me at the table, lovely treat, excellent grilled veggies on the side.

We’ve also frequented the place called La Dolce Vita, good pizza, including some with Sardinian pecorino and even honey. Izzie enjoyed a fresh pineapple smoothie in a cool glass thing, I don’t think there was anything else to it that pineapple and ice, super good.

We had our last supper there, insalata frutti di mare was excellent, together with a glass of cold, Sardinian vermentino. Their spritz wasn’t sensational, too much ice.

On the way home to Toscana I said to Florek that I’d love a big mug of Lady Grey tea and a scrambled egg on toast, nice and fresh. Nadia and Cristian were looking after our cats when we were away and what did I find on the kitchen worktop on arrival? 8 lovely fresh eggs from their chickens. Some of them made a wonderful breakfast on Monday morning. 🙂

Sardegna 10 out of 10, especially foodwise, but its’s beyond good to be home!

It was our turn to invite Sergio and Lara to a restaurant ( after they grabbed the bill at The Butterfly” last month). I’ve been wanting to check out L’Olivo for a while, having heard a lot of good things about it, yesterday we finally got to go.

It was a delicious evening in a great company. First we had an aperitivo at Sergio and Lara’s beautiful house on the hills of Cappella. Lara made a few lovely snacks to go with it, including a simple and delicious salad with farro, tomatoes, onion and olive oil- olive oil of their own making and I have been given some! I have tasted farro before at Molly’s, but now it’s on my shopping list. I’ve just done some research and will be wanting to eat it a lot more often.

L’Olivo, when compared with poncy Butterfly, wins for me big time, hands down. I liked the ambience, the staff were excellent, but most importantly we ate really well. I’ve checked out the menu as early as with my morning coffee, so I knew what I wanted. The stuffed baby squid with a creamy white bean puree was an absolute delight. I’d go back just to have some more.

Izzie had some fresh pasta with seafood ragu, her choice and she did a good job dealing with the plate. Florek and Sergio ordered pasta too, Lara had a chick pea starter and then a platter of cheeses, but Ilan and I both went for duck breast, which was not on the menu, but we were advised there are 3 pieces available. Duck was beautifully pink and tender, roast potatoes nearly as good as at Nonna Clara’s, wonderful chickory, slices of apple and a side of spinach. Ilan destroyed his within minutes and soon asked if he could order another portion. That’s how good it was.

The weakest link was the dessert, semifreddo so bloody sweet, that my teeth hurt.

I feel like throwing a nice dinner party for these lovely people, such a pleasure dining with them every time.

A couple of weeks ago we made new friends. Lara and Sergio, parents of Izzie’s friend from school, Ilan, entered our orbit right before the school’s Christmas spectacle. After 5 minutes we have agreed to have pizza after the performance and chat some more. Lara, Sergio and Ilan, true Italians love their food and talk about it eagerly. Ilan is the only 9 year old I knew of, who orders a rare pidgeon in the restaurant and deals with it within minutes. I also loved when he referred to American food as “spazzatura”. 🙂

Last night, as per Sergio’s suggestion, we went to “Butterfly”, a posh little place outside of Lucca, boasting a star. We’ve never been there before, but happily obliged.

This was by far the poshest place we have dined in in Italy so far. The service was excellent. There were lots of small plates between courses, all beautifully presented and explained. Water was constantly topped up, as was wine. I must read up on Sauvignon; the chap brought us a bottle of local Sauvignon from 2013, which surprised me; I remember from wine training in Dinings, that Sauvignon Blanc should not be served older that 2 years old, is Sauvignon different? Homework to be done!

My favourite thing in Butterfly was bread. A good selection of it, different flavours and textures, aniseed grissini, but the sourdough rolls they brought were phenomenal. Wonderfully crusty and moreish. I wish I could eat more of that bread…

We had lots of seafood, I loved my prawns, cooked so delicately I couldn’t get enough. Lobster, which followed didn’t wow me, it was barely cooked. Florek had some wagyu, which I tried too. Very good, but light years away from anything Masaki cooks in Dinings.

The dessert, pannacotta, looked spectacular, but tasted disappointing and was barely set, very unconvincing.

Izzie and Ilan had a great time, playing Kluster on the table and making a bit too much noise for that kind of place, but nobody kicked us out onto the rain.

Lovely evening in a lovely company, in terms of food however that meal we had in Dinings in April 2022 remains on top spot for us and its top position is not in any danger.

Sergio was being naughty and annoyingly grabbed the entire bill on his way “to the bathroom”, so next time we will pick the place and make sure he leaves his wallet at home.

A handsome end to a delicious year.

Another one of of The Places I Really Wanted To See in Italy Soon, has been seen. Moka and Viktor were here last week. We were debating whether to spend Sunday in water park or go somewhere we have not been before. So we hopped across the fence to Emilia Romagna.

The biggest surprise was how quiet the city was. I expected a bit of a massacre, like Siena two years ago, but no; the students were away, there were some tourists (Americans, at the city tour bus booking place “you know, we’re from New York, sooooooooo…..”), but there were no mental crowds, we had a good time and a fantastic lunch in Taverna del Postiglione. It wasn’t cheap, but we tasted two things we wanted to taste in Bologna and some more. Service was fantastic. Wine list very impressive, but we wanted beer.

The board that was brought for us full of local meats( that mortadella!) and cheeses was nicely explained and very much enjoyed, especially the marmalade made of prunes, which tasted great with Grana Padano and Parma ham. I happened to find some in Conad this morning, we’ll see how it compares.

For the mains Moka and Viktor went for some ravioli, I had gnocchi with prawns- who would have thought! Izzie really broadened her horizons and opted for pizza margherita. The winner however was Florek, who had tortelloni in brodo, we all had a little taste and it was the best plate on the table. Clear, meaty broth and homemade, tiny tortelloni, simple, yet mind blowing.

We had no desserts, as were too stuffed and after coffee headed back towards the car, well fed and happy. I’d love a plate of that brodo for myself anytime.

Also, I really liked the parmigiano container that stood of the table, I liked it so much that I sought it out online and I now have one in the fridge, thanks to Florek. 🙂