Florence pt 1 - Where to eat
When I first set out looking for places to eat in Florence, I was floored. This town has one of the highest number of Michelin star restaurants (and for a good reason) and not to mention that given the rich heritage and beauty of the city, there isn’t really a ‘bad’ place to eat. We travelled here on a special occasion so naturally I became (a bit) pedantic in wanting to find the right places to eat (and visit). As a big foodie, my tolerance towards paying a high price for bad food and a poor dining experience seems to be diminishing fast; before I would put it down to experience and shrug it off, now I actually find myself getting a tad irritable. Thankfully, the below top four places are absolutely worth swinging by if you’re in dreamy Tuscany.
What I absolutely adored about these dishes was how seemingly unrelated flavours were seamlessly blended to create a uniquely delicious palette (I mean…gnocchi with blackberries and truffle at Borgo San Jacopo? How can that sound odd but taste so good?) There really is an art to balancing flavours where even the most bizarre concoctions can come together to seem perfectly suited. If ever you doubt whether it’s worth investing in a good meal (because as some people say, it’s just food after all), a good Michelin star restaurant will do well to sway your opinion. Having said that, the streets of Florence is equally filled with some of the best cafes, patisseries and pizzerias. Not every cafe will blow your mind but they all serve up fresh, homemade pasta with the most rich olive oil you would have ever tasted.
Buon Appetito!
Vito Mollica, Executive chef at Il Palagio.
Nestled within quite possibly one of the best Four Seasons properties in the world (not an exaggeration). Il Palagio is a Michelin star restaurant. Space wise it’s not as grand as you might expect, but its intimate ambience and intricate decor gives it a luxurious feel. And the food is second none.
Known to be one of the romantic restaurants in Florence… but unfortunately we visited in February when they barred off the tables overlooking river Arno due to the cold. Stepping into this place felt like stepping into a townhouse furnished with high taste; long white walls filled with Art and narrow hallways leading to the main dining area. The sea bass was grilled to perfection, so much so that even the skin tastes delicious (and I usually don’t like the skin). However, even despite the shaved truffle, melted cheese, blackcurrant and gnocchi concoction (seriously how does that work?) the real surprise was actually the plum tomatoes that came with the seas bass; they were injected with eggplant which burst in your mouth. Eggplant might not sound sexy but Borgo San Jacopo definitely made it so.
I just can’t see how Florence could have got pasta wrong anywhere. Situated next to The Gucci Garden (more on this later) and the landmark Basilica of Santa Croce so if you sit outside you’ll get a stunning view. There’s actually a branch in London but I haven’t been, if you go let me know how it is!
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