Milano

Wednesday 15 May

We arrived in Milan with the sun shining and a clear view of snow-capped mountains. BDR was hobbling a bit but it worked to our advantage when a lovely young woman escorted us past the long queue straight to a customs window. So it was a quick exit and an even quicker drive (160 kph) in a new Mercedes to our hotel just a few hundred metres from il duomo. We had just enough time for a luxurious afternoon nap before preparing for dinner. And what a dinner it was.

I have been following a restaurant / bar called Tartufi & Friends for a long time and made a booking many weeks ago for tonight’s dinner. It was a very comfortable walk from our hotel, along elegant cobbled streets and down Corso Venezia (though the concierge marked it on the map as being closer than it was, causing us to travel back and forth before seeking help).

This place is so chic, with black walls and the highest ceilings (mirrored), comfortable and cosy seating and unassuming and welcoming crew. Each table setting is on a silver tray with belt-like leather handles – bit like a cruise ship of the 1920’s? and the best quality starched linen.

We both had the Signature Menu:

• Compliments of the chef lightly honeyed, roasted bread topped with black fish roe
• Violet eggplant, tomato drops, burrata cream, lemon and fresh truffle
• Foie gras, Sicilian shrimps, cacao, orange scented mayonnaise and fresh truffle
• Spaghetti “memories of carbonara” and fresh truffle
• Anchovies in tempura, sprouts, ligurian olives, hollandaise sauce and fresh truffle
• Simple green salad and fresh truffle
• Shortcrust, rhubarb scented cream, maldon salt, pistachio icecream and star anise powder
• Compliments of the chef macaron, profiterole, cheesecake and tart with a glass of limoncello

The truffles were about the size of walnuts – black truffles from the south of Italy. They were quite mild both in aroma and flavour in comparison to other truffles we have had – but delicious just the same. And the servings were very generous – one or two truffles with each course. We shared a bottle of Italian pinot nero and finished with the most fabulous espresso coffee. We were waved off at the front door and window-shopped on a leisurely walk back to the hotel. Such a fabulous night.

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Eighteen months ago, we were lucky enough to have a degustation lunch at Eleven Madison Park in New York which, at that time, was the number 1 restaurant in the world. We both agreed that tonight’s dinner was the best restaurant dinner we’ve had since Eleven Madison Park. So elegant, so relaxed, nothing pretentious and all such great fun. We would go back in a heartbeat.