Il Ristorante, Bvlgari Hotel, Italy

One night at the Bvlgari was not enough. Firstly because we didn't get a chance to explore restaurants outside our hotel and second because we didn't have a chance to treat our hotel room as more than a dumping ground for shopping bags and dirty laundry. So, as suspected dining at Il Ristorante was the perfect choice after a hard day of shopping the golden triangle. The bar was dark and moody and full of fabulous looking people wearing (largely) black. I've enjoyed a few Italian pre-dinner drink treats of nibbles in my time but never have a seen anything near the quality or quantity of that served at the bar at the Bvlgari. No sooner had we...

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Verandah, Villa D'Este, Italy (Night 2)

Given the wonderful dining experience we had enjoyed the previous night, we couldn't go past Verandah restaurant for our final night at Villa D'Este. After some Veuve Cliquot enjoyed watching the sun go down over the lake, we moved inside to the restaurant. A different amuse bouche was served tonight – raw octopus with pickled vegetables. A little lighter than the steak tartare of the night before. Those stuffed zucchini flowers had been so good we needed another taste so ordered those to start along with the Villa D'Este tasting plate. I hadn't had enough of a taste of the veal carpaccio Sean ordered the night before so decided...

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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...

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The Grill, Villa D'Este, Italy

Unfortunately we had to run in the rain to the restaurant and couldn't linger along the lake front, however having arrived in the dark we didn't really know what we were missing out on. That would become apparent in the morning. The décor was up-market traditional Italian. Not too stuffy, certainly not “trendy” but very comfortable and plush. I'm sure the views were magnificent but it was dark and we were a little tired being at the end of a travel day. Described by Villa D'Este as "Informal, yet the ambience is cozy and chic. The menu lists an interesting variety of regional dishes with a choice of the best Italian wines." Menu Easy to follow...

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