La Bottega del Buon Caffè

Top quality refined Tuscan cuisine in Florence

Risotto creamed with 36 months aged parmesan cheese, fennels cream, burnt leek, radishes

Located not far from the Florence city center, overlooking river Arno, is the Michelin starred La Bottega del Buon Caffè, many rated as one of the very best restaurants Florence has to offer. The stylish restaurant has its own farm in Tuscany, supplying fresh herbs, vegetables, and fruit to its kitchen. The restaurant cooking concept is local Tuscan in essence, and use prime ingredients depending on the season. At weekday lunchtime, the restaurant offers an 80 Euro lunch menu, this might sound expensive at first, but all the dishes are actually taken from its tasting menu, to ensure the quality of the dishes is just as good as in dinner service. 

Amuse bouche

Bread

Crème brûlée of foie gras with red onion sorbet, cocoa beans, pear

I opted for the lunch menu, and the first course was already a winner. The Crème brûlée of foie gras was truly wonderful, creamy with a mild sweetness, the red onion sorbet offered a savoury and refreshing taste, it is such a clever dish that turning foie gras into a light and colourful tasting dish. The risotto dish was easily the best risotto dish I have ever encountered, the sourness of the radishes, combing with the umami profile of the parmesan cheese, was just outstanding, not to mention the fine presentation of the dish. For main, it was a lamb dish with parsley, the sharp, aromatic flavour of the parsley offered a lovely contrast to the well-seasoned meat. The earthiness of the lamb also worked like a treat with the soft mellow taste of the mushroom.

Borgo’s lamb, broccoli rabe

La Bottega Cheesecake

P4

La Bottega del Buon Caffè's food offering was pretty special, it was so refined and elegant, with a lot of attention went into the presentation. All the fine dining restaurants I have tried in Florence were all really top quality, but if I must pick one, I think La Bottega del Buon Caffè just edge to the top, as it offered the full package. Besides the great cooking, the decor is classy and edgy. The service team was also fabulous, spoke great English and extremely professional. I would more than happy to return for the full tasting menu if I ever visit Florence again.



Food 4/5

What I paid: 
£85 per head with wine (lunch menu)

Average cost without drinks and services:
£130

Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini, 69, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy

https://www.borgointhecity.com/en/la-bottegadel-buon-caffe/