There is gelato and then there is Il Massimo del Gelato (Via Lodovico Castelvetro, 18, 20154 Milano, Italy), a small, independent gelateria, 1o minutes drive from the city center. Fresh fruit sorbets like orange, mango, passion fruit and various ice cream are excellent and turn out to be identical to…

One of my favourite Milanese dishes is risotto al salto, made by pan-frying leftover saffron risotto with a little of butter and some grated Parmigiano Reggiano. And where can you find it better than at a simple, traditional, family-owned trattoria like La Bettola di Piero (Via Orti, 17, 20122 Milano,…

I think half of this croissant with peach jam filling at Sant Ambroeus café in Milan is pure butter, the other half – pure pleasure. As for the cappuccino… Oh well, coffee is just one of the bunch of things Italians know how to do better… ( like shoes for example!)…

I first time heard of Le Calandre (Via Liguria, 1, 35030 Sarmeola di Rubano, Padova, Italy; tel. +39 049 633000) and it’s risotto from Andy Hayler’s FT.com interview, where he mentioned that there he had the best saffron risotto ever. If someone, who’s been to all the 3 Michelin around…

Bone marrow with various smoked herbs at 3 Michelin starred Le Calandre. Will post more soon… (By the way, it’s sister restaurant is opening on Paris passage des Panoramas in May.)

What I love about Italian cuisine is its simplicity and its respect for ingredients. In that sense, one could draw many similarities to cooking philosophy in Japan. Here, at Armando al Pantheon trattoria in Rome (Salita dè Crescenzi, 31, 00186, Rome, Italy; tel. +39 06 6880 3034) anchovies and prunes on…

Massimo Bottura and his restaurant in Modena Osteria Francescana need no introduction. Holding three Michelin stars and positioned third on the San Pellegrino 50 World’s Best Restaurants list, Massimo Bottura might just be one of today’s most influential chefs. He likes to describe his work as “seeing tradition from 10…

They call it black gold: a 100 ml bottle of a 25­-year vintage can sell for over 100 €, yet most of the world’s supply is an imitation. We’re talking about modena balsamico, the carefully aged, syrupy vinegar that adds a deep mellowness and tart sparkle to everything from roasted…

Very old and very rare – 7.5 years old Parmigiano Reggiano, spotted on the cheese trolley of Le Calandre (3*) in Italy last week. (Does anyone know it’s producer?)

Massimo Bottura and his team at the kitchen of Osteria Francescana today. (3 Michelin stars and number 3 in the world according to San Pellegrino. ) “Memories” of mortadella, parmesan cheese in 5 different textures, ingenious Caesar salad, tortellini di Modena, incredible pork dish with 45 year old balsamic vinegar… So…