Lago Maggiore short break

I have a new job!!  And I have been working my notice  for the past 3 weeks… pretty tedious I have to admit!

The only thing that kept me going was the thought of  entering  the magic ‘between jobs’  land.

I am planning a pretty exciting 1 month long ’Grand Tour’ of Asia with a short stop in Sydney. I’ll be leaving next week.. and I am so excited! But I am digressing…

So, to celebrate my new job.. and my upcoming trip I decided to spend the week-end in Italy and visit with my family on the lake: Lago Maggiore.

It was quite an impromptu decision and flights were super expensive. I opted for Monarch Airlines, as they have a new direct flight to Milan Malpensa. Overall, a bad decision: flight delayed, landed at Malpensa T1 (much slower than T2), cost of checked in luggage extortionate. My verdict: you are better off flying Easyjet… really!

On Friday night, after my unpleasant adventures with Monarch Airlines, I was starving and Mum treated me with a fab dinner at one of my favourite little restaurants on the lake: Osteria Melograno.

Here, chef Luca takes you through a casual dining experience with top-notch ingredients and really authentic flavours of Northern italian cuisine.

We decided to share our starter: Octopus (well.. not so Northern Italian I know, but they make a fantastic one here!) with black olives and cherry tomatoes.

As a main, I ordered pan-fried perch  fillets with a side of roasted potatoes and Mum ordered Risotto with perch fillets.

My fillets very crispy, yet very light and delicate.

‘Risotto ai filetti di pesce persico’  is a specialty of the lakes region in Lombardy.  The main ingredient is perch, a freshwater fish. If you like risotto, you’ll love this dish!

The risotto was creamy and rich, and the almost sweet flavour balanced perfectly the savoury fillets.

As I m getting ready for my bikini, I decided to be good and skip dessert, and so did my mum. But  they make a chocolate and pear dessert to die for, strongly recommended.

Perfect for a casual date or a catch up dinner with family in a very relaxed and personalised atmosphere. (Service is amazing!).

OSTERIA MELOGRANO

Via Cavour 13, Angera (VA)

Italy

website: http://www.osteriamelograno.it/

Dinner from €25  per person (with house wine)