Here at StyleNest we are big truffle fans so we were incredibly excited when we heard Brunello’s Restaurant were running a special truffle menu this week.
Brunello’s is located in the Baglioni Hotel just opposite Kenginston Palace and as we entered we were taken aback by the magical yet stylish atmosphere from all the glittering Christmas lights.
This truffle season not only is Brunello’s offering a truffle themed twist on their regular menu, but also a special tasting menu from Italian chef Alberto Rossetti, each course paired with Charles Heidsick Champagne, which of course we opted for. We were shown to our table in a cosy corner of the restaurant and soon presented with our first glass.
The first official course on the tasting menu (after a seemingly never-ending supply of delicious sourdough bread) was quails egg served with truffle, celeriac and leek compote. The compote was incredibly creamy, perfect with the oozing egg and shaved truffles – a great start to the evening!
Next on the menu was a beef carpaccio with parmesan flakes paired with a lovely Charles Heidsick Rosé. We were dining with a friend who is vegetarian and Brunello’s were extremely accommodating of this even within the tasting menu. We were especially happy to have a vegetarian guest because it meant we got to try an even greater variety of dishes, stealing a spoonful of her pumpkin soup with porcini and truffles alongside our carpaccio.
Moving on to the next course we enjoyed a perfectly cooked seared tuna steak with crunchy sesame seeds and sweet red and yellow peppers, while our friend devoured her Portabello mushroom with vegetables and a broth.
It’s hard to pick a favourite course from such a selection but the Black Truffle Risotto was definitely a contender. With a very generous portion for a tasting menu there was the perfect amount of truffle in this very creamy risotto.
Next up was the seabass fillet topped with crunchy pistachio served with a truffle sauce. By this point our friend was slowing down slightly so not only did we thoroughly enjoy our seabass but we managed to eat most of her vegetarian option too, the Aubergine Parmigiana. This course was paired with possibly our favourite wine of the evening, the Blanc des Millénaires 1995, clearly a winner as it also accompanied the following cheese course.
We finished off in true Italian style with a Tiramisu, beautifully presented in a lovely ceramic dish and with a light, moussy texture.
Of course no good Italian meal is complete without a glass of Limoncello and the ice cold glasses we were presented with went down very easily – the perfect end to a fantastic evening.
Usually when we order more than one course of truffles during a meal (which we have been known to do) it can be too overwhelming and the flavour overpowering but this was the perfectly balanced meal.
Although the truffle menu is only on this week we would highly recommend a visit to Brunello’s anyway for the magical Christmas atmosphere and delicious food and wine. We’ll certainly be going back to try some of the tempting looking pastas we saw pass by our table!