Feasting Pigs

in bologna, italy (march’24)

last stop of our italian weekend was back into bologna city center. another seemingly family run osteria. our bittersweet last plate of tortellini, and the last of our very carb heavy weekend.

i found the plates here to have a stronger flavour than most, richer and meatier. for instance a comparatively richer chicken broth in the tortellinis, and the rich offal sauce with macaroni made of hand cut giblets and unlaid egg which has the bouncy texture. i wasn’t particularly keen on both the meat dishes. the pigeon was done well in both styles, with the breast lightly seared and the thighs & wings braised in cooking jus and berries, was too meaty and rich for my liking. likewise for the tripe, the tripe itself were thinly slice and completely lost in its texture, the flavour was also way too cloying, doused in milk cheese butter and bacon fat. ended with a ‘sunday dessert’, which was sorta a creme caramel.

good cooking, and very homey. sadly just doesn’t match well with my palette.

capon broth and tortellini (€16)
hand pressed macaroni, meat sauce of hand cut giblets and unlaid eggs (€16)
braised baby pigeon with differentiated cooking (€28)
‘frisona’ breed tripe, milk, ‘romagnola bacon’ (€20)
‘sunday dessert’: milk pudding, amaretto cookies and almonds
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would revisit: try once
reservations by phone
price range pp: €30-€60
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📍OSTERIA BOTTEGA
location: vis santa caterina 51, bologna
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in bologna, italy (march’24)

before heading back to bologna from modena, we stopped by this legendary institution for another dinner and stay. a trattoria serving dishes of the region, but also due to its unique geography located in the hills, it has access to a lot of local game meat from its surroundings.

opted for their signatures throughout the menu developed throughout their opening, from the beef tartare and the parmigiano gelato on flatbread which i loved. they are also very well known for their tagiatelle bolognese, which was one of the most balanced version i’ve had, as they tend to either be too meaty for me or too tomato, this was for me of the perfect balance. the tortellini filled with parmigiano served with mora proscuitto was also nice. we also ordered the fallow deer smoked in cherry and pear wood which was unique, and the other signature of the whipped ‘amerigo’ egg which wasn’t bad but can be skipped.

ended with my favourite ricotta with grape must (sweet juices of balsamic vinegar pre-fermentation) and a milk and cream gelato with balsamic vinegar. a very solid spot, with trekking out once to sample the goods but not memorable enough for me to keep going back especially with its distance away from the main cities.

✨tiegelle flatbread with parmigiano gelato & balsamic vinegar (€11)
bianca modenese cow raw meat, scorzone black truffle (€17)
✨tagliatelle bolognese with meat ragu (€16)
✨tortelli filled with parmigianno served with mora proscuitto cooked in wood oven (€17)
appenine fallow deer leg lightly smoked with cherry and pear wood (€24)
whipped amerigo egg cooked in the oven and egg yolk mimosa (€20)
✨soft ricotta with saba cooked must (€9)
milk & cream gelato with traditional balsamic vinegar (€9)
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would revisit: try once
reservations online
price range pp: €30-€60
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📍AMERIGO
location: via marconi 16, emilia-romagna
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in modena, italy (march’24)

a cozy hearty trattoria in modena city center, gave the vibe of a family run restaurant with regulars frequenting. because it was an easter sunday when we visited, the menu was limited, but what was served was still very good and reflection of the heartiness of the restaurant.

opted for a simple tortellini in brodo and lasagne, both felt like a huge hug from an italian grandma. won’t say its the most delicious, but all in all just felt so cozy and warm. ended with a mascarpone cream and ricotta chocolate cake which were average. would love to be back for their longer menu on off peak season to try more of their cooking.

tortellini in brodo (€12)
lasagne tradizionali (€12)
crema di mascarpone con tenerina (€8)
crosta di ricotta e cioccolato (€8)
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would revisit: if in modena
reservations by phone
price range pp: €10-€30
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📍OSTERIA ERMES
location: via ganaceto 89, modena
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in modena, italy (march’24)

part 2/2
as much as i didn’t enjoy the dinner, i have to give credit to the beautiful estate and our lovely stay at the casa maria luigia. tennis courts, swimming pool, gym and art gallery aside, the house next door to the hotel is their own balsamico cellar, where tours are offered for in house guests to visit and sample the different balsamic vinegars made by massimo - from d.o.p. to his experimental blends.

the stay also includes breakfast, which was probably the highlight of the whole experience here and brightened our easter sunday. almost endless courses of sweets and savouries, from italian classics like the gnoccho fritto, parmigiano and endless foccacia, the american classics due to the soaring numbers of american tourists here - but they do bake a mean cinnamon bun. jams and spreads also which are all homemade and endless supply of chocolate chip cookies to take like a buffet.

if you do come to this side of italy, i do recommend staying overnight here to wind down in the estate and stay for the breakfast. to feed curiosity, could also attempt at their dinner, but would personally only recommend going for the stay and breakfast.
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would revisit: try once for brekkie and stay
reservations online
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📍CASA MARIA LUIGIA
location: stradello bonaghino, 56, modena
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in modena, italy (march’24)

part 1/2
the osteria francescana ‘brand’ has now diverged into two main restaurants, the one with all its glory in modena city center serving all the experimental dishes, and the one inside the maria luigia estate, serving francescana signatures of the years like the broken lemon tart, which are no longer in the menu of the modena shop.

i visited the maria luigia restaurant, and stayed overnight (that will be in the 2nd post). personally didn’t love the setting of the dinner, long communal tables ‘for bonding’ and for someone introverted it makes it quite hard to enjoy my meal. the food was also not up my alley at all, very flamboyant with their presentation of course, but also flavours - like a trio of risotto of seafood, herbal and mushroom all in one plate, a mess of a plate of veal with sauces which did not work with the meat at all and was there for visual purposes. ended with a surprise dish which was probably my favourite of the night, a classic of the region tortellini but was still a distance away from some of the versions we had this weekend.

some may love the gimmick of it and the idea that each dish comes with a story as most diners did on our shared table. plus a lengthy speech given by chef massimo himself before and after the meal and the freedom to leisurely stroll into the kitchen whilst they’re cooking. the whole dinner experience was subpar of what i imagined as a restaurant with such accolades, can’t imagine what the experience must be like in the experimental side. had to feel it once for myself out of curiosity, but overall just one of the most overhyped and unworthwhile dinners i’ve visited this year.

dinner tasting menu: (€330)
mont saint michel
tribute to monk
riso camouflage
five ages of parmigiano reggiano
the crunchy part of the lasagne
beautiful psychedelic, spin painted veal, charcoal grilled with glorious colours as a painting
autumn in new york, winter in modena
oops! i dropped the lemon tart
surprise surprise
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would revisit: no
reservations online
price range pp: over €300
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📍FRANCESCANA AT MARIA LUIGIA
location: stradello bonaghino, 56, modena
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in bologna, italy (april’24)

a lovely easter weekend getaway to bologna, a place i’ve been aching to go for some time. started the trip with the best best best spot a small train ride away from the main city. known for their ‘mirasole outcrop cream’ - from cows from their own dairy farms to make cheese, creams and milks, its definitely worth the journey to try this.

we began with some bites, like the mortadella sandwich and homemade ricotta cheese from their farm, the mortadella ham and cheese quality was one of the best i’ve ever had, so so good. we also got their chicken liver on toast which was literally mashed livers so it was a bit too meaty and rich for me personally.

we continued with the star of the night, their rendition of tortellini with their ‘mirasole outcrop cream’ which was one of the best dishes i’ve had this year, so silky and creamy, rich milk gaminess balanced with the perfect amounts of cheese without being cloying. their ragu bolognese was also very hearty, heavy on meaty flavour but highlight here was the egg yolk which was bouncy to the bite.

for mains we got the rib of veal bolognese, veal was so tender but full of milky flavour in the meat, sandwiched with a layer of parma ham before fried and topped with the same lovely cream. and wanted to try something from the grill so got their recommended royal neck of cow, rich of beef flavour with a nice chew, also loved the accompanying vegetables. to end, tiramisu and panna cotta can be skipped, enjoyed the balsamico on vanilla ice-cream most, but desserts here could be improved. highly highly recommend, will for sure come back to sample more dishes as well as revisiting the classics. the stay and breakfast here was also great, but not a must experience.

bread with chicken liver (€12)
❤️ tortellini with milk cream (€28)
✨noodles with ragu bolognese (€24)
✨rib of veal bolognese cutlet (€70)
✨royal neck (€33)
tiramisu (€8)
vanilla ice cream with balsamico 12 years (€10)
crem caramel (€10)
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would revisit: yes
reservations online
price range pp: €60-€100
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📍OSTERIA DE MIRASOLE
location: via matteotti 17, san giovanni in persiceto, bolobna
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in milan, italy (march’24)

another old school and traditional trattoria in milan, large ambient dining room full of locals upon our visit. but was a shame the food was a bit subpar of expectations.

portion sizes here were huge, one of the most generous spots we visited. we loved the gnocco fritto with the selection of ham and salami. got the veal milanese as opposed to the pork, which was okay, not bad but didn’t jump out for us. i’m sure there are better renditions out there but didn’t have the chance to try several to compare this trip. the ossobuco here also wasn’t my cup of tea, the sauce didn’t feel meaty and rich enough to lift up the bed of risotto, the diced root vegetable in the sauce also made it a bit strange. risotto had a great texture and seasoning was just right, but it was more food colouring than saffron. ended with a chocolate tart with a piece of sugared pear, nothing remarkable.

salami selection with gnocco fritto (€14)
risotto alla milanese with ossobuco (€28)
fried milanese veal chop with baked potatoes (€26)
chocolate tart with pear (€6)
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would revisit: no
reservations by phone
price range pp: €30-€60
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📍TRATTORIA MADDONINA
location: via gentilino 6, milan
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in milan, italy (march ‘24)

quite a well established pizza spot in milan, sticking to neopolitan style with their fluffy crust and light dough, and known for their innovative flavours and pizza tasting during night-time.

we came for a quick lunch just to sample their dough and pizza selection. i like the dough, not anything particularly mind-blowing but very well made, with the light texture, cheetah printed crust and not a soggy base.
got the very classic margherita with bufala mozzarella which is always my go to. their botox was also really interesting, very much like a cheese on cheese pizza, with some textural additions like the parmigiano reggiano crisps which really help break apart the milky richness, but especially loved the fig jam for the touch of sweetness to draw away from the gaminess from the raw blue cheese.

margherita con bufala (€18)
botox: caciocavallo, fior de latte, raw blue cheese, fig jam, parmigiano reggiano crisps (€25)
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would revisit: try once
reservations by phone/whatsapp
price range pp: €20-€40
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📍CONFINE PIZZA
location: piazza cardinal massaia, milan
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in milan, italy (march’24)

another very memorable dinner spot, quite a famous trattoria here in milan with a slight modern twist. with the name ‘trippa’ translating to tripe, one of their signature dishes are the deep fried tripes, which tasted a lot like hk-style fried fish skin, maintaining its slightly chewy texture which was very interesting to eat. another dish i thoroughly loved was their vitello tonnato, thin slices of veal with a rich but decadent tuna sauce.

we also adventurously tried their donkey tartare which didn’t taste too out of the ordinary, much like lean beef, and a soft egg with celeriac and hazelnut cream. a highlight of the meal was the very unassuming homemade tagliatelle with butter and parmesean, so simple but so satisfying, coated in a glossy cheesy sauce which was not cloying but addictive. potato gnocchi with wild meat ragu was also very very good, n’duja sauce based tripe was good but prefer the classic style with tomato sauce and cheese.

to end, decided on a really hearty chocolate cake and tiramisu to end from their list of choices. great vibes, excellent service and wine-list and homey delicious food, highly recommended spot when in milan and definitely worth the hassle for reservations.

✨fried tripes (€12)
✨vitello tonnato (€18)
donkey tartare with chives (€15)
soft egg with celeriac and hazelnut cream, bottarga and char eggs (€16)

✨tagliatelle, butter, parmesean (€18)
potato gnocchi, wild meat ragu, parmigiano (€18)
✨tripes of the day: n’duja (€17)

tiramisu (€7)
✨chocolate cake with orange (€7)
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would revisit: yes
reservations online
price range pp: €30-€60
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📍TRATTORIA TRIPPA
location: via giorgio vasari 1, milan
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in milan, italy (march’24)

one of my favourite dinner spots in milan, a modern take on the traditional milanese classics along with a series of offal dishes which is totally up my alley. began with their daily special chutoro with a veal tendon salad, followed by some of my favourites of the day which was the tripe cooked in the classic tomato sauce and cheese, and a unique pig’s head with a cannellini bean cream to break the heaviness - a dish i highly recommend ordering.

for pastas we opted for some of their classics, the cappelleti filled with butter and cheese, topped with aged vinegar to break the heaviness, so hearty and so good. had their saffron risotto, had it before at their popup in london and so glad i’m having it again in the main restaurant which was even better than i remembered.

ended with a very special chicken heart and liver infused chocolate tart, which was strange at first but the gaminess actually worked incredibly well as a semi sweet treat, before finishing with a chocolate sable and fruit tart. a highly recommended spot when in milan, cozy hearty with a touch of innovation.

raw red tuna, tropea’s onion, veal tendons salad (€20)
✨tripe, tomato sauce and pecorino cheese (€16)
✨pig’s head, cannellini beans cream and mussels ragout (€16)

✨cappelleti, butter, aged vinegar and tuna bottarga (€18)
✨saffron carnaroli risotto ‘riserva s. massimo’ (€22)
pigeon, green pepper, roast pumpkin (€22)

✨sachertorte, apricot jam, chicken’s hearts and liver (€10)
chocolate sable, mascarpone, fruits (€8)
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would revisit: yes
reservations online
price range pp: €30-€60
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📍FRANGENTE
location: via pandilo castaldi 4, milan
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