INDULGE
Text Chloë Greenbank,
Matt Barker
Our round-up of favourite restaurants from Brussels Airlines’ European network
Ristorante Linea Dombra ITALY
Ponte dell’Umilta, Corsoduro, 19 Venice, tel. +39 041 241 1881,
www.ristorantelineadombra.com
Tucked away from the main tourist haunts Linea Dombra is a treat to discover amid the more overpriced, under-rated tourist restaurants that tend to populate Venice. It’s a popular spot with local Venetians boasting simple, elegant décor inside, a large floating terrace on the Giudecca Canal and a menu that features traditional Venetian cuisine fused with creativity. Dishes change regularly according to the fresh produce available that day. When ordering keep an open mind, don’t dwell on the menu; instead let the waiters talk you through the dishes and in true Italian style allow time to linger over your meal. The carpaccio of fish is a sublime starter with delicate slithers of seafood such as tuna, sea bass, scallops and crab decorating the plate, while the millefeuille prawns on an apple and onion base are the perfect melt-in-the-mouth combination of sweet and savoury. For a main, the roasted sea bass with potato mash, capers and roast tomato is highly recommended. Follow up with a selection of cheeses and home-made cakes and there’s an extensive wine cellar with a selection of Italian and international wines, which you can order by the glass or by the bottle. And as this is Italy it would be wrong not to polish off with a glass of limoncello. Expect to pay around €90 per person including wine. CG
Foodie corner
An economist by day, by night gourmet DJ Don Pasta brings his Food Sound System, a multi-media culinary roadshow, to a number of festivals across Europe this summer. Described by the man himself as a “political manual for musical gastronomy”, the show features recipes (with a bias towards the Don’s native Salerno), film and readings set to DJ-ing and live music. New this year is the Dark Side of the Food, a critique of the modern world’s foodie problems, from GM crops to war and famine. The soundtrack to all this food for thought includes the Clash, Miles Davis and Serge Gainsbourg. What excellent, if thoroughly weird, taste. MB
For tour dates and information about the Don Pasta Selector recipe book, visit
www.donpasta.com
Benugo bar & kitchen UK
BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, Southbank SE1 8XT, tel. +44(0)20 7401 9000,
www.benugo.com
A welcome addition to London’s Southbank, Benugo’s bar & kitchen opened in March and is already pulling in the crowds. Owned by brothers (Ben and Hugo Warner) who run the upmarket sandwich/deli shops of the same name, Benugo bar & kitchen is located in the British Film Institute and is a suitably stylish addition to this cutting-edge complex. Housed in a buzzy open-plan space you enter via the bar area with its comfy, retro-design sofas and floor to ceiling windows. Champagne cocktails are reasonably priced and you can stave off hunger with bar snacks that include a pint of sausage rolls or a scotch egg with onion marmalade. The main dining area oozes cool with low lighting and rich, dark colour schemes. The no-nonsense menu features British classics with dishes such as London Pride battered fish & chips, braised chicken & cider hot pot and slow cooked lamb shank ragout with ricotta dumplings. The portions are generous and food (although not haute-cuisine) is tasty and served rapidly, making this a great pre- or post-film or theatre option. Open daily from 11am - 11pm, expect to pay around €73 (£50) for a two-course dinner for two including wine.TT
Noon ITALY
Via Boccaccio 4, Milan, tel. +39 02 4802 4607,
www.noonmilano.com
Recent anxious Italian newspaper reports would have us believe that hardworking Milanesi have forgotten how to party, but a new breed of sleek eateries that has been cropping up around the city over the past few months would suggest otherwise. Leading the way is this chic little number, sitting pretty just around the corner from Cadorna station and the Castello Sforzesco.
Noon has the happy knack of combining cutting-edge style with the cheery ambience of a local watering hole. A cocktail bar takes centre stage, but there are also two restaurants (one à la carte, the other buffet), a lounge bar (with DJ soundtrack) and a cigar room.
The main restaurant takes up a large mezzanine level and has a daily changing lunch and dinner menu. Chef Pasquale Esposito brings a vibrant touch to traditional fashionista faves: lobster spaghetti is light and more-ish; the gnocchetti with clams served with fresh asparagus is a delight, as is sea bass garnished with olives, and a surprisingly delicate risotto prepared with mascarpone. For dessert, the dark rum baba with whipped cream is not to be missed. Natty sculptures and moody black and white fashion shots on the wall remind you you’re in Milan, and the enthusiastic, chatty staff ensure that you’ll want to come back. Open daily 12pm-2am, average dinner from €40 per person. MB
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