Osteria dell'Enoteca

Classy Tuscan flair in Florence

Steak time!

Osteria dell'Enoteca is a Tuscan style restaurant located in the southern part of Florence city center, not too far from the landmark Pitti Palace. It is somewhat an unusual restaurant, spit across two dining rooms inside an old warehouse. At the same time, it has a fine dining feel to it, thanks to the well spaced out, large tables covered with a white tablecloth, each of the two dining room has no more than 10 tables, making the restaurant has a premium edge. The menu is largely Tuscan cuisine, guests are invited to try its steak for their main course, these are large cut of T bones that would require sharing unless you are a very hungry person, with each weight at least 1kg.

Ristorante Miky Cinque Terre

Stunning seafood restaurant in Cinque Terre

Raw seafood of red prawns, tuna and seabass

On my trip touring around Northern Italy, one of the highlights was visiting the great Cinque Terre, the beautiful area that made up of 5 small villages on the coast of Liguria. I had not done any restaurant research in advance while I visited Cinque Terre, while I was searching for a lunch spot at Monterosso (one of the 5 villages), I walked passed Ristorante Miky and I decided to take a chance to check out this seafood specialist restaurant. It was only while I am inside and checking online, I found out Ristorante Miky is actually one of the most highly regarded fine dining restaurant in the area. The menu is mostly seafood based, with the classic Italian choices of starters, first course, mains, and desserts.

Osteria alle Testiere

Popular seafood joint in Venice

Seafood platter

If you are a big foodie and happened to be visiting Venice, seafood most likely is high on your agenda. Venice is well renowned for its fresh seafood as a water city, and Osteria alle Testiere is regarded as one of the very best seafood restaurants in the city, with great media endorsement from around the world. As committing to fresh ingredients, the restaurant changes its menu daily, depending on what they can find from fish markets. The restaurant itself is tiny with less than tables, meaning booking in advance is well recommended. Be aware all the tables are closely packed together so this is not the best place to dine if you seek privacy.

L’Osteria di Santa Marina

Creative Venetian cuisine

Shi drum, lentils and pumpkin

Searching for a good quality local restaurant can be tricky when you visit Venice, it is no secret that Venice is one of the most visited city by tourists in the world. On my visit, it was flooded with thousands of visitors from around the world. To capture that profit opportunity, the city is also filled with plenty of "tourist trap" restaurants. To avoid such places, I have done a little research in advance and came across L’Osteria di Santa Marina. The restaurant itself has been recommended by a good number of review sites and judging from the menu, it is fairly creative and taking food influences from around the world, with Venetian cuisine as a foundation. 

Antiche Carampane

Authentic Venetian cuisine

Carpaccio of red tuna, seabass and langoustine

When I visited Venice, dining at a classic, old school Venetian restaurant was high on my agenda list. After spending a great deal of time scouting on the internet, Antiche Carampane kept popping up as a recommendation from many websites, such as Time Out and Culture Trip. The restaurant has been around since 1983, a family run restaurant that prides itself in doing top-notch Venetian cuisine and taking advantage of the local famous Rialto market to sourcing fine ingredients. The menu is your classic Italian affair with appetizer, first course, second course and desserts to pick from.