[Feb. 2024] In Soncino in Lombardy, Northern Italy, we made a reservation for lunch as soon as we arrived, and it was really good that we did.
It was called Antica Rocca, and we were the first ones there.
But then, more and more customers came in, and it quickly became full, and people without reservations were turned away.
The exterior was ordinary, but once you enter, it’s obvious that it’s a high-quality restaurant.
There were neat tables with white tablecloths, and the waiters were neatly dressed in uniform.
The female owner’s son was a sommelier.
We were grateful that there were various types of half bottles.
These days, we often feel too much to have one bottle between just two of us.
On this day, we chose Tempio Pausania wine from Sardinia.
It had a solid, heavy taste that suited our liking, so it was the right choice.
For my starter, I had six snails.
It said it was Burgundy-style, and it certainly had a French presentation, with a lovely strong garlic flavour.
My husband had artichoke salad.
It was julienned artichokes topped with cheese, and he said it was delicious.
For the main course, I had a pork dish called Ossocollo di Maiale.
Ossocollo is apparently salted meat from the neck of the pig, and although it was fatty, it wasn’t too heavy and had a good flavour.
A vegetable called “green cabbage” that was a little harder than spinach was the garnish.
My husband chose ravioli with the same vegetable, and that was called Tortelli al Cavolo.
It was a rare vegetarian meal for him, and the portions seemed a little small.
For dessert, I had Sbrisolona, a hard baked pastry topped with zabaione.
The baked cake with almonds tasted good, but were a little too hard.
But I like Zabaione, so I was satisfied.
My husband, who always likes semifreddo, ordered Semifreddo al Torrone.
We each had a glass of dessert wine recommended by the sommelier.
All this perfect three-course meal came to €99.
I thought it was a bargain.
The staff were friendly, and my satisfaction exceeded my expectations.
The fact that such a high-quality restaurant exists in such a small town is an example of the depth of Italy.
