To say I have an obsession with the Netflix show 'Somebody Feed Phil', is an understatement. I am obsessed, it has become my favorite show, and Phil to me is now a superhero in my eyes. Where did you think I got the idea from to travel to Lisbon? So when the second season rolled round I got sucked in again, and before I knew it I had booked a trip to Modena, Italy, thanks to Master Phil.
Osteria Francescana
One of the most famous restaurants in Modena, perhaps even the world, is Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana. I decided that you only live once, and I wanted to try the famous 5 stages of Parmesan, no further thanks to Phil's encouragement. So on the first day of the month I took the day of work, woke up at 6am, got online, joined a 4 hour queue and managed to get a table reservation in 3 months time. Luckily my job at the time approved the holiday request, and I was on my way. The one downside to my reservation was it was for lunch, not dinner, but at this point I was just happy to get a table.
The food is a culinary adventure. I went on this trip, I guess, as a food blog newbie - and did not get a photo of the menu, nor do I remember what exactly I actually ate - but you live and you learn. We chose the classical tasting menu, because it was our first time, however if we go back I would go for the seasonal menu. I do suggest you try and visit if you can, and for a tasting menu at this caliber, price wise I think it is worth it. I did feel like a fish out of water in this atmosphere, fine dining isn't really my thing, and a funny story about learning that can be found below...
Since I don't remember the menu, here are my memories of the images below. (Image 1) The fish was delicate and crunchy, and shimmered as if dusted in glitter. The pillow was filled with a meat/or fish cream. Throughout this experience I learnt that fine dining is about creams, and can be found everywhere. (Image 5) This is especially true for the BURNT dish. Black squid soup with a squid cracker, you guessed it, filled with black squid cream. What they didn't tell me though is that the cracker is held down by more cream, and now suddenly my fingers were covered in black cream, I made a mess, and my white napkin now looked like a Jackson Pollock painting. Lesson learnt: beware of the hidden cream in fine dining. The fish on papilote (Image 6) is delightful. One of my favorite dishes. Beside the sea water paper and fish what brought it all together was the sun-dried tomato paste under it all. Devine. (Image 7) Five Stages of Parmesan is worth the trip here alone. It is like a magical creation of just cheese. Each aspect of the plate tastes different and has a different texture yet with comforting taste of familiar parmesan. (Image 9) I believe this dish was beef tortellini; I do not remember the exact meat/ pasta name - really annoyed at the moment that I didn't take a picture of the menu at this stage. It tasted like something my grandmother would make. It was familiar, like a hug in my mouth. This was my favorite dish. If I could eat this everyday, I feel all my troubles would melt away.
We went for the wine pairings with the tasting menu, however I actually wish we'd gotten one bottle. There are so many wines, you can lose the plot, especially with all the dishes arriving to try as well. On the flip side what is great is the opportunity to try a wide range of wines, and one of my favorites was: Langhe Cinerino Bianco 2016.
Bar Tiffany
As Phil does in his episode, we also visited the food market and had fried gnocchi with parma at Bar Tiffany. This might be my favorite new bar food. Warm fried pillows of dough and salty ham (and an espresso).
Antika Moka
My favorite restaurant might actually of been a random restaurant we randomly found on our first night. Antika Moka. I have never been so grateful for the Tripadvisor app. The atmosphere felt welcoming and inviting. They had a little special chair for my handbag - didn't even know this was a thing? The dishes were exquisite, and the highlight for me was that the chef came out at the end and hugged us. I always wanted a hug from an Italian 'nonna'. I also think Massimo Bottura was sitting a couple tables away from us, but maybe I was just dreaming...
* We went Thanksgiving of 2018.
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