My Italian friends know that I love meat so much that they brought me to Il Bue E La Patata right after I checked into Hilton Milan. This fantastic restaurant, located along the quiet via Porro Lambertenghi, is about five minutes’ drive from where I stayed. From its unpretentious exterior, you can’t really tell much about this little gem. But pleasant surprises await you in this charming restaurant.

The six of us decided that it was best to share the food so that we could have more variety. I left all the ordering to my friends and they wowed me with their excellent selection. For the appetisers, we had the Burrata and Hot Tomino with Crispy Bacon. The Burrata is a soft Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream encased within a solid mozzarella exterior. The taste is milky but has an added buttery dimension to it. It’s light, delicate and very easy on the palate. However, I prefer the Hot Tomino with Crispy Bacon much more. Tomino is a soft creamy cheese made of cows’ milk. Unlike other cheeses, tomino cheese is strictly meant for cooking. The delicate taste of the cooked cheese is further enhanced with the crispy bacon. It is simply heavenly!

For the Italians, the first course refers to a pasta dish and not the appetiser. The Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms is simply gorgeous. I’m not a huge fan of risotto because it can be rather heavy and dense. But this version is different. It’s slightly lighter but yet packed with so much flavour. The Paccheri Broccoli and Sausage is equally good. The broccoli and sausage sauce is an uncommon choice of sauce for pasta but it turns out well for the oddly wide, tube-shaped pasta. However, I would recommend people to share this pasta dish because it can be rather filling.

The Bue’s French Fries are actually potato chips. At €5, it’s a huge plate of freshly fried potato chips. While most kitchens would have discarded the potato skins, the chefs at Il Bue E La Patata turn this unassuming by-product into a side dish, Fried Potatoes Peels.

My friends ordered the Grilled Angus Rib to share. They had it done at medium and I found it a bit too raw to swallow. The meat is rare and for someone with a weak stomach like me, I prefer my meat to be more cooked. My Grilled Beef Fillet is done to my liking, medium well. It’s grilled to perfection (still pink inside). The rock salt adds taste to a piece of succulent beef without overpowering its natural flavour.

But the biggest surprise is the frivolous candy bar! It’s so irrelevant in a steak house but it’s good fun. The waiters will bring you tall jars of marshmallows, jelly beans and peanut brittle after your meal. It’s not the conventional desserts but it definitely brings smiles to our faces.

Il Bue E La Patata is definitely a keeper. Now, I have one more restaurant to visit whenever I visit the fashion capital.

IL BUE E LA PATATA S.r.l.
Via Porro Lambertenghi, 24, 20158 Milano, Tel: (+39) 02 3982 0524
www.ilbuelapatata.com