Boccondivino, Milan By Hayley

I recently visited Milan for the Salone del Mobile furniture fair with some colleagues from work. The best thing about travelling with work is that you usually get taken for dinner somewhere that you wouldn’t usually go; and this occasion was no different. We went to Boccondivino, http://www.boccondivino.com/.

Our reservation was for 8pm and we arrived slightly early but the door was locked, we were let in at about 7:50 and were the first guests in the restaurant.

The welcome was warm, we were all provided with prosecco, our first drink of the meal (#1).

The table decoration was…different. I can honestly say I have never seen a bouquet of salad before. It turns out that this is Course number 1… Salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil served with a glass of white wine (#2).

Now when I say served with white wine, they don’t just serve the wine each bottle is chosen specially to compliment the food and every bottle has its own story.

A few moments later we were given little pieces of toast with a red pepper topping and pate, and a plate of cheesy balls (hehe). All of which was delicious.

The next course (Course 2) was a mixed selection of cold meats. We were all given fresh plates and the meat was dished up in front of us in a swirl formation and we were instructed to eat the meats in a clockwise order from sweetest to strongest. All of the meats were fresh and full of flavour and absolutely delicious.

This course was served with a really delicious bottle of red wine (#3).

After we had finished our plate of meat, we moved onto Course 3. More cold meat. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a complaint and we were warned when we came in the aim of the restaurant is to higher our cholesterol. Again the meat was delicious.

After feasting on a small animal, Course number 4 was a mix of risotto and pasta served with another tasty bottle of red wine (#4).

So by this point I’m hoping that my meat compartment and my pasta and salad compartments haven’t taken up so much room in my stomach that the cheese compartment is too squashed and there’s no more room in my stomach. I then quickly remind myself that there’s always room for cheese and I mentally give myself a quick slap on the face and tell myself to pull it together.

The cheese platter was not a platter. The cheese platter was a trolley of dreams. We all chose 3-4 cheeses each and were given the final bottle of red wine (#5). This wine was 16.5% and going down all too easily.

After we were all cheesed out we moved on to our final dish. Course Sorbet with another (yes another) bottle of wine!(#6) This time it was a sweet dessert wine and if any restaurant knows how to do wine it’s Boccondivino – I’m wondering in my head how much it would cost to fly my fiancé’s father out here for his 60th just to visit this restaurant because he would just love this place. I decide it would cost too much, but maybe one day I’ll win the lottery.

Finally we are each given a glass of Limoncello(#7) and depart the restaurant skipping on rays of sunshine – Or more likely moving sideways towards the door with a big grin slapped across our red glowing faces. All in all it was a fantastic experience. The staff are amazing the food was delicious and the wine just topped it off.

The cost was €77.50 per head including tip, but with 6 Courses, 2 drinks and 5 bottles of wine it was worth every penny.