When I think of Italy, the first thoughts that come to my mind regarding food is Gelato, Pasta,…read morePizza, and Lasagna. Yep, growing up in the US, that is kind of our glimpse of what Italian food is like.
When you are in Milan, I suggest you try out A'Riccione Bistrot because the Italian food here will rock your socks of. It is some of the best seafood I have eaten over the course of 4 hours...
1. Prosecco - not sure when it was that offering a glass of prosecco was the thing to do, but they do offer you a glass and it is wonderful to start a meal with a nice glass of bubbly. It just sets the mood right.
2. The menu - I knew we were in for something very good when not only was the menu in English and Italian, but they had some great things here. Our hosts are Italian and they ordered everything and coordinated with the waiter to bring out some of their favorites and of course, there were a few things that we asked for.
a. The bread. Now, we had some lovely breadsticks and some breads that we so good that we were afraid to eat them and ruin our appetite. The breadsticks were nice and crunchy and the bread was a selection of rolls and focaccia.
b. Mixed Seafood Raw Appetizer - We asked for a selection of raw fish and this was amazing. The red shrimp, the prawn, the tartare and the carpaccio of fish (sword fish, tuna, salmon) was both well presented and the taste was out of this world. There is nothing like raw seafood done right.
c. Ostriche- we had two types of oysters and we started with a lighter, less fishy oyster. The next was a much more tasty and stronger oyster. By eating the lighter one and then the stronger one, it was a very good way to eat oysters for me.
d. Polpo alla griglia - The grilled octopus was a nice addition that I was not expecting. The meat was slightly chewy in a tender way, and was very tasty. I would order this again as it was done just right and was a nice change from the raw food.
e. Astice alla catalana - this lobster cooked alla catalana was very tasty, but also slighly different than what i have had before, which had more a tomato and a rich sauce. this was prepared with vegetables and no sauce and it was wonderfully refreshing.
f. Potato Chips - We were waiting for quite a while for our last dish, so the waiter brought out some home made chips. These were basically devoured over the last course. Done just right!
g. Mixed Grill - This was different seafoods grilled and covered with a slight breadcrumb sprinkle. I normally don't order breaded seafood, but this was very well done and the sprinkle seems to be a speciality of the restaurant.
h. Salt Crusted Fish - This is one of my favorites. That is a layered crust of salt that the fish is encased in and then when cooked, it was like this is gonna be way too salty, but instead, we got a tender, juicy flavorful fish filet. If you have never had fish cooked / baked like this, I suggest to give it a shot.
This place is wonderful, but make a reservation! The service is top notch and the staff are very nice and enjoyable.
GK says, try this place out the next time you are in Milan. it is a great experience of wonderful dining!
