Ristorante Da Claudio

J. Hofstätter Joseph Pinot Grigio 2011 from Alto Adige.

Olives.

Beef carpaccio with truffle cream, parmesan, arugula, shaved carrot and balsamic glace. 

Antipasto misto.

Saltimbocca alla Romana.

Pappardelle with beef filet in cep and truffle cream sauce.

Espresso and biscotti.

Da Claudio
Godthåbsvej 42
2000 Frederiksberg

Notes:
Even though B and I can actually see Da Claudio from our apartment and pass it every single day, last night's visit to the restaurant was a first a for both of us. The exterior look of the restaurant screams cheesy, Italian restaurant and the price level is not exactly competitive compared to many other places around the city. We were however both thrilled and excited as my parents invited us out for dinner yesterday. The look of the interior did not ruin our first impression of a tacky, Italian restaurant, but the warm is light and there is a somehow tranquil atmosphere in the restaurant. We all opted for two à la carte dishes but started off with a crisp, mineral Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige and complementary olives which were marinated in olive oil and fresh parsley but otherwise tasted much like the 5dkk pitted olives available in glasses in most supermarkets. As to the actual courses, I started off with beef carpaccio, which was made of extremely fresh beef but was way over-garnished. I did not really get the addition of raw carrot, and while the truffle cream was really delicious it did not really play very well with the parmesan and balsamico, which all in all made for a confusing impression. B's choice of antipasto misto left us a bit with the same impression but again, the quality of the ingredients could not be questioned. For mains, B's pappardelle with beef, truffle and cep cream sauce was very tasty and hearty and I even managed to snatch two bites from his dish. My saltimbocca alla Romana was also very tasty and I liked the addition of the fried carrot strips though the other vegetable garnishes were quite trivial. For the main courses we enjoyed a Sicilian Nero d'Avola. We ended our meal with a strong espresso and a homemade biscotti and left Da Claudio full and satisfied. I should mention that my parents had booked the table through Restaurant2Night, which enabled them to get a 25% discount on the entire meal. And while I found some of the dishes to be a bit too fuzzy or fragmented, for the final price I think that Da Claudio delivered a delicious, traditional meal at fine value. At full price there are however way better and less tacky deals to found around the city.

Villa d'Este



Antipasti Misti

Another serving of antipasti.

Villa d'Este
6, rue Masséna
06000 Nice
Mon-Sun 12am-2:30pm, 7pm-11pm

Notes:

Do you think the above picture looks a huge mess? Well, it is. A beautiful mess of Italian antipasti and according to the restaurant it can even be categorized a starter. Whenever I have inhaled such a plate I can hardly walk thereafter, but I tell you it is worth the pain. For my family it has almost become tradition that we need to visit Villa d'Este for lunch at least once when we're in Souther France to enjoy this beautiful plate of antipasti. It changes from day to day but includes all sorts of Mediterranean delicacies like little squids, marinated mussels and anchovies, brushette, all sorts of grilled or marinated vegetables and mandatory objects like olives, sundried tomatos, artichoke hearts and a huge chunk of Parmigiana. This will set you back around 15 euro, which I consider quite a bargain. Highly recommended.

Linguini Fini

Bread basket 

Stracetti di Manzo - arugula, slices of rare beef, artichokes, gorgonzola, and anchovy aïoli.

Caesar salad and fried calamari.

Fried pork brain, lardo, crisp sage, and lemon aïoli.

Pig's heart Milanese with arugula, tomato, and lemon.

Linguini Fini

G/F, The L Place

139 Queen's Road

Central, Hong Kong

Notes:

Linguini Fini is a. B and I had read about it online and were intrigued by their interesting food combinations. To start off with we however had a few drinks as the place has a 1+1 deal until 7pm. B went with a Negroni, I had a tacky glass of prosecco. As to the food, we stayed in the antipasti arena all night, and were not disappointed. Among the standouts there was the Stracetto di Manzo was incredibly tasty, filled with umami and yumminess. The calamari were fresh and crisp, just like they are supposed to be. And the fried pork brain with lardo was a really interesting dish, and while the brain itself did not taste like much in itself, it was nicely accompanied by the crisp sage and lemon aïoli. On the other hand, I had really looked forward to the pig's heart Milanese but the breading was way to overpowering, and did not provide the taste of heart, which I had expected. The place also provide a reasonably price wine list, were many can be bought by caraffe rather than bottle. Recommended.

Spiseri

Antipasti: Burrata, tomato, basil, bread + calf's tongue, salsa verde, sage

Primi: Salsiccio, Puy lentils

Secondi: Pork shank, rabbit, red onions, lettuce

Dolce: Abricots, mascarpone + Cappuccino

Spiseri
Griffenfeldsgade 28
2200 Copenhagen N
(+ 45) 42 36 02 22
Open Wed-Sat. 17:30-24

Notes:
Spiseri is an unpretentious and endearing restaurant driven by four very skilled and hospitable women. The price level is noble as well. We payed just above 1000 dkk for 4 courses each, two glasses of crémant to start off with, a bottle of spätburgunder, water and coffee. The restaurant is always staggering full, so reservations are a must. Highly recommended.