For laid-back or luxury: two great restaurants

Boccon del Prete is a restaurant just around the corner from where I live. I was first introduced to it by a local from Sovicille who dines there frequently as her restaurant of choice for a relaxing, casual lunch with friends. It was autumn, and excitement was rising among those in the know about the arrival of the first freshly pressed olive oil. This precious green elixir was a world away from any olive oil I had ever known, smelling and tasting intensely of freshly cut grass as we were to discover at Boccon del Prete. There, they served what has to be one of the simplest of dishes ever, with pride, as an antipasto. It was called 'fett'unta' and consisted solely of grilled slices of bread rubbed with garlic, dripping with olive oil and seasoned generously with good salt. As my mother can confirm, it was delicious. This confidence in the quality of one ingredient to make a dish shine is a fundamental basis of Italian cooking and it became even more evident as our meal went on, as demonstrated by the carpaccio of beef with an understated dressing and salad that I had, which was beautifully succulent and flavoursome.

Olive trees in the Chianti hills

Having enjoyed my first experience of the osteria, I went there again with my father and stepmother this weekend for a low-key dinner on their first night in Siena. Both of them plumped immediately for the pork with balsamic vinegar, which was a great choice; bravely, the pork was served rare and was complimented by the unctuous balsamic perfectly. In the spirit of adventure, I chose something a little less traditional to Siena than pork, and had a cold selection of smoked swordfish and salmon. True to expectation, it was a light and well balanced combination. All was accompanied by a very respectable house wine which is always a good, inexpensive option in Italy as they take so much pride in their wine selection.

Chianti Classico being aged

As far as dessert menus go however, I am yet to be seriously impressed in Italy. The combination of Sienese cantucci (a type of biscuit) with a glass of the sweet Vin Santo is a wonderful classic but it gets rather tiresome when it features on every single restaurant's list. I'll admit that the nougat semifreddo with chocolate and caramel sauce I had at Boccon del Prete was a nice finish to my meal, but disappointingly my stepmother's pear cake with vanilla and vin santo infused cream was rather blander than it should have been. 

Personally I don't blame the individual restaurants for their uninspiring sweet selections, as it seems to be a universal phenomenon across Italy. This is probably due to a cultural preference for sweet creations at breakfast rather than in the evening, when your typical Italian would rather go for a stroll and a gelato than order any of the coronary-inducing concoctions we British dream up at a restaurant.

The next day, we booked a table at one of Siena's more luxurious restaurants for a celebratory dinner. An inconspicuous place from the outside, the Antica Osteria da Divo hides inside it an unusual labyrinth of underground Etruscan grottoes which, along with the subtle lighting and soft notes of jazz drifting from cavern to cavern, makes for an unforgettable experience. We were greeted with delicate parcels of rice and salmon whilst we pored over the creative and well-thought out menu, delivered by attentive yet discreet staff. Of the dishes we sampled, each one was breathtaking. My father had the steamed lobster with boiled potatoes and asparagus with a balsamic reduction, followed by the most elegant egg lasagna 'au gratin' with beef, fennel seeds and Tuscan sausage ragu I have ever seen. Kate then had the rolled pork filled with spinach, mushrooms and fresh pecorino, truffle sauce and potato puree and I a breast of guinea fowl with balsamic vinegar and spinach with pine nuts and raisins. Although already quite satisfied enough, we were unable to resist the temptation of a dessert to finish our evening and were pleased to find a rather more sophisticated selection than had been offered the previous night. Again this course was anticipated with a delicious Neapolitan rum baba each. Both my father and Kate singled out a sumptuous chocolate semifreddo served in a macaroon basket with crunchy almonds whilst I chose a sweet pastry stack with lemon scented cream and fresh berries which was taken to another level by a light garnish of mint leaves. The only grievance we found was the overrated selection of digestifs which would have suitably rounded off a glorious dinner, had the grappa we were after been of the quality my father was hoping for. Despite this small criticism, I am already inventing excuses to return and taste the rest of their seasonal spring menu, which I readily assume must be equally as exquisite.

Lasagna 'da Divo' style