Verandah, Villa D'Este, Italy (Night 1)

With views from the terrace overlooking the changing colours of the lake due to the sunset we enjoyed a relaxing pre-dinner drink. Being Italy, this was of course accompanied with a variety of olives, almonds, crackers and risotto balls presented beautifully in silver serving ware. Inside, the Verandah restaurant is a formal as dining gets, anywhere in the world, although it doesn't feel stuffy. I would describe the décor as “Italian Renaissance”. Fabric covered blue and yellow striped chairs with gold accents, carpet, mixed bouquets of flowers, soft lighting and white tablecloths. Lots of glass from which to admire either the lake or the light-up centuries old mosaic wall that is a feature of the property. Lots of waiters in short white jackets and bow ties. This was as far away as you could get from modern, industrial and minimalist styling.

Described by Villa D'Este as "Overlooks the Lake and the gardens. It is formal and elegant (jacket and tie are required in the evening). Glassed-in or al fresco, windows are automated and can disappear into the ground. In the Summer tables are also set up on the terrace. The menu is traditional Italian haute cuisine. The wine list is excellent.."

Menu
OK, the menu. I read it in haphazard format from main courses to chefs suggestions to starters and dessert – it was a lot to take in and perhaps the fact that it was presented on a very large card made it a little overwhelming. In a good way.

Food
Moving inside with the Italian waiters who invented the ability to host and entertain in just the perfect balance, we took our seats and settled in for a fine dining experience – it was one of those evenings where we  had the sense that something special was about to happen. The sommelier wore a red jacket to distinguish himself as someone to see if thirsty. Which we were. He created a wine pairing by the glass for each of our courses, allowing us the opportunity to taste each wine before pouring. No need to change though as he had it right first time.

To help with the reading our amuse bouche of steak tartare served with potato and pea mash was not something I would normally go for, but I decided to be brave and give it a taste. The texture of the meat combined with the floury potato and sweet pea mash was very good and perhaps I'll be more open to this type of dish in future.

For Sean it was like a dream come true and I could see him settle back in his chair, knowing that what would follow would be of excellent standard.

Being a seafood fanatic and also a dietary nightmare given my requests to avoid anything too rich or creamy, I decided on stuffed steamed zucchini flowers. This turned out to be my favourite dish of our entire stay at Villa D'Este. This is my idea of restaurant food. It's not something I'd make myself at home. The ricotta was fresh and light and each forkful was a melt in the mouth experience. Sean also raved and it's not really his normal type of dish selection.

The zucchini flowers were sublime. Not deep fried like everyone seems to do back in Australia in the process destroying the delicate flavours. Inside was a mixture of light ricotta and tiny chopped vegetables.

Sean had veal carpaccio. It was a textural feast - the veal was from a large fillet that had been sealed on the outside and then sliced thinly which provided a journey from fully cooked sinew through to soft and raw. It was simply served with parmesan, shaved black truffle, pepper and olive oil.

For entree I had hand-made green tagliatini with crab meat which was good but perhaps with a little too much parmesan for my liking.

Sean indulged in a rich, creamy and deconstructed lasagne that was right up his gastonomic alley. Not for me.

For my main course I had the lobster dish which was perfection. It had been shelled but somehow so that it appeared to still be intact making it easy to eat. It was sweet and juicy and a decent sized portion. Served with some wild rice and a tomato based light sauce it was like couture on a plate - designed specifically for me (or so I'd like to believe!)

Sean's duck was beautifully delivered, rare, with a red wine and master stock reduction in classic style. It was rich in flavour but light in texture.

Such traditional Italian flair with the co-ordinated lifting of the cloches! I wondered just how many times this particular waiter has done this and yet he was full of life and obvious passion for his profession.

I had noticed a fresh salad and vegetable bar as we arrived and had looked forward to exploring it as there were no side dishes on the menu to order and I find there is never enough salad or vegetables served with main courses. However, given we asked for long gaps between course, it had all been packed away by the time I got there. Not to allow for disappointment our waiter personally selected a variety of vegetables without balsamic or oil (on my request).

Flambe crepes at your table if you like.

The only mild disappointment for me was the biscotti which was rich and pastry based whereas I prefer simple and traditional.

Wine

Sean befriended the sommelier who was easily visible in his red jacket selected a Barolo for us. Silky and reasonably priced..., for a Barolo.

The most telling part of this review is that upon leaving we made a dinner reservation for the following night!

We dined on 20 September 2011