RISTORANTE FRESCOBALDI X AURORA CAPRI

After a much enjoyable Winemaker's Dinner at Frescobaldi a few months back, I was very much excited to return for a special lunch by Guest Chef Franco Aversa, the A-list Head Chef from Aurora, Capri's most exclusive restaurant.

Aurora, the critically-acclaimed restaurant on the island of Capri in Italy's bay of Naples, is a family business owned by Mia D'Alessio; the kitchen led by her husband, Head Chef Franco. Known as one of Capri's oldest restaurants, it specializes in Mediterranean cuisine and traditional Neapolitan and Caprese cuisine, with Head Chef Franco's personal twist. 

Hungry with anticipation after browsing through the menu, we left our choices in the safe hands of the lovely Mia, who brought us a delightful selection of tasting dishes.

 We started with some tasty, crisp arancini balls and moreish courgette fries, followed by some seafood dishes such as the octopus salad with green beans, and grilled squid with a creamy potato velouté. The fish fillet was cooked beautifully, topped with a golden, crunchy potato crust.

I was really craving for some pasta that day, and my favourite dish was undoubtedly the Pappardelle with cheese, pepper and black truffle - sometimes the simple things in life can bring great joy and comfort.

I had a mouthful of the Cannelloncino of Magro with ragu Napoletana sauce, which was also very good. 

La Tradizione: Mozzarella in Carrozza, Involtino di Melanzane, Arancino, Zucchini Scapece

Insalata di Polpo Croccante con Patate e Fagiolini

Calamaretti Grigliati su crema di patate

Pappardelle con Cacio, Pepe e Tartufo Nero

Filetto di Pesce in crosta di Patate con verdura

Cannelloncino di Magro con Ragout alla Napoletana

There was a surprise chocolatey dessert for all of us at the end, each topped with a candle just for that special touch - I'm sure that it must be someone's birthday in the world somewhere ...

Ristorante  Frescobaldi hosts regular Guest Chefs from around the world throughout the year, for a period of upto two weeks at a time.

This current Guest Chef event runs for just over a week, until Saturday 26th November 2016, so book yourself in whilst you still can for an exclusive taste of Capri.

And whilst you're there, don't forget to pair your meal with their extensive and exclusive range of Italian wines.

The Cheekster, signing out x

The meal was complimentary, but views remain my own.

BOCCONCINO, MAYFAIR

 Located on Berkeley Street, this chic Mayfair Italian restaurant is another (not-so) little gem that I recently had the pleasure of discovering.
Stepping through the main entrance, Bocconcino is actually much larger than it appears to be from the outside. Spread across two floors, there is a livelier dining/bar area downstairs, and the more intimate room at the end of the corridor where we were shown to our table. 
They are known to serve both classic and modern Italian cuisine using only the freshest of ingredients, served alongside a wide selection of exclusively Italian wines.
I had a sneaky peak of their menu on their website before my visit, so I knew that I was in for a treat that evening ... 

The starters all sounded really good, but we managed to narrow them down to a few that were recommended to us by our waitress. The first one that caught my eye was the scallops, which were juicy and nicely seared, served with a creamy cauliflower purée and bottarga (a delicacy of salted, cured fish roe) - a strong start to the meal.

We also had the classic favourite of deep fried calamari, coated in a light, crisp batter and served with tartare sauce.

We didn't miss out on the Andria burrata, a buttery, creamy fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream, with a side of smoky aubergine and pesto - definitely one for the cheese lovers. The focaccia al rosmarino was super thin and crispy, and dangerously easy to snack on ...

Torn between the pan-fried dover sole and the pasta dishes, I eventually settled for the linguini with Scottish lobster and cherry tomatoes. The pasta was cooked al dente which is how I like it, mixed in the delicious tomato-based sauce with generous chunks of lobster - a dish that definitely did not disappoint.
WK ordered the Veal Milanese, another dish that had caught my attention, and we were both seriously overwhelmed by the size of it (!) 
That must have been the biggest portion of Veal Milanese that I have seen, it was a struggle to finish it, even between the both of us. Juicy, tender meat coated in a crunchy golden crust - if you love your meat, then this might the ideal choice for you.

By this point of the meal, as much as I love my desserts, I was happy to share one (!) dessert between the two of us. We went for the classic tiramisu which had a light and fluffy texture, with lovely hints of coffee and cocoa. We were however later coaxed into ordering the profiteroles with Chantilly cream and hot chocolate sauce, which is one of their signature desserts - we gave in rather easily (how could I say no to more dessert?), which was a satisfying end to our meal.

It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to dine at Bocconcino's, and I would recommend a visit if you're looking for somewhere to experience and taste some proper hearty Italian food - do remember to go hungry, as you may have noticed that their portions are rather generous (!). I didn't get to try their wood-fired pizzas, but from what I've heard and seen, they sure sounded/looked good, especially the Pizza con il tartufo with black truffle oil ...

The Cheekster, signing out x

The meal was complimentary, but views remain my own.

CHAMPAGNE AFTERNOON TEA AT AMARANTO, FOUR SEASONS

Amaranto is a modern Italian restaurant in the Four Seasons London at Park Lane, and coincidentally just opposite the Intercontinental where I had the pleasure of enjoying another afternoon tea a couple of weeks back.
The afternoon tea was served in the Amaranto Lounge which had more of an oriental feel to it rather than Italian, with its marbled black surfaces and scarlet red interiors. It was a shame about the weather as I was hoping to be able to enjoy the outdoor garden which would have been lovely on a sunny day - the lounge clearly proved to be a warmer and drier option on yet another wet British summers day.

They have four different menu options and I was actually interested to try the Picnic Afternoon Tea (despite the non-picnic weather outside), but I was then informed by the waiter that the Free-flowing Bookatable Deal was only valid for the Traditional Afternoon Tea Menu. Slightly odd as all four menus were displayed on the website, but I didn't ask further...

Anyway, any sort of afternoon tea makes me happy, especially when it involves free-flowing bubbles. Our champagne flutes were promptly topped up with Bollinger champagne - an excellent way to brighten up a rainy day and wash away the Monday blues.
Well, I didn't exactly have the usual Monday blues since it was my day off work, but champagne still makes any day seem perkier...

Our three tiered stand was placed on a small side table next to us, carrying a plate of sandwiches and the sweets. The scones were to be brought out later when we were done with the sandwiches so that they would not go cold sitting on the table - a much preferred method as opposed to some places that bring out everything simultaneously.

The selection of sandwiches consisted of the following:

Organic egg, Montgomery cheddar with mustard cress on malted bread

Cucumber, cream cheese and wasabi on walnut bread

East End smoked salmon and prawn cocktail on brown bread

Honey roast ham with cloves and English mustard on white bread

Roast organic chicken with sage and onion stuffing, mustard mayonnaise on white bread

A nice variety of tasty traditional fillings and bread - we particularly liked the white bread with cranberries.

When we were done with the sandwiches, we requested for the scones to be brought out. The traditional and raisin scones were warm and buttery, and the fact that they were smaller made them taste better to me - I have this thing with miniature food and desserts... 

They were served with a trio of condiments - strawberry jam, lemon curd and thick clotted cream. 

After downing a few glasses of champagne (I kind of lost count halfway through...), we moved on to the teas - Zeena ordered the fragrant Jasmine Silver Needle, whilst I went for my favourite Darjeeling Second Flush which had a rich and full-bodied aroma.
And of course we did also inform the waiter that we were happy for the champagne to keep flowing...

The chocolate and raspberry macaron was really rich and indulgent - macarons are one of my favourite desserts and this did not disappoint. The Pimm's choux was cute and interesting, and undoubtedly a delicious mouthful of creaminess.  The trifle was quite light and fruity, and the rhubarb and custard was encased within a sweet white chocolate shell and presented in the shape of a mini lolly. I had been eyeing that pistachio and strawberry tartlet for a while, so I was quite excited to finally devour it - it tasted as good as it looked, and it was my favourite one amongst the rest.

Time passed by so quickly as usual and we were absolutely stuffed at the end that we walked to a further tube station to help our tummies to settle - another one of those over-indulgent afternoons...not that I'm complaining.

The Afternoon Tea with free-flowing champagne is priced at £49 per person and is one of the many Bookatable Star Deals which you can book for yourself via this link. Or you may also click here to browse the other free-flowing deals that may tickle your fancy.

The Cheekster, signing out x