La Terrazza can be found located inside Belmond Hotel Splendido. Well, technically, inside and outside, as true to its name, the restaurant is home to a huge terrace area which overlooks the stunning harbour town of Portofino.
We decided to take advantage of the beautiful views by dining on the terrace. We were there as day turned to night, and we have to say it was a truly magical experience seeing the sunset while being treated to their exquisite service.
We decided to start our evening with an aperitif, settling on a couple of glasses of Laurent Perrier Rose, a classic pink champagne that we’ve started many a good evening with, and this was no exception.
For our first course, I chose the fresh homemade pasta, served with Chianina beef ragout, porcini mushrooms, and provolone cheese. A wonderfully authentic dish, the flavours were superb, and there’s no doubting Chianina brings the best out of this dish. My partner opted for the linguine pasta, served with Palamita tuna, pine nuts, and raisins. Another fine example of a traditional dish well executed.
“The wine decanting also deserves a special mention as it’s nothing short of a theatrical show.”
Moving on to our main course, we decided to share the salt crusted Mediterranean sea bream, for which we had the pleasure of seeing it masterfully prepared table-side. The sea bream tasted fresh, and had a lovely tender texture, and being cooked in the salt crust really brings out the character of this delicious, slightly sweet tasting fish. We also ordered sides of rosemary roasted new potatoes and sautéed spinach with butter.
For dessert, I went for their vegan cocoa bean pudding, which was served with stracciatella ice cream and organic chocolate. My partner chose the tiramisu, each layer was simply delicious and was presented with fresh fig, strawberries, and raspberries to complete. Two gorgeous, indulgent, beautifully presented desserts to finish our evening.
Alongside our dinner, we enjoyed a bottle of 1998, Riecine La Gioia Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy. The sommelier deserves a mention for recommending such a special wine, by the name of Riecine La Gioia Toscana which was wonderfully perfumed with a mature and strong nose of black fruits and spices, and the delivery was exceptional, the decanting also deserves a special mention as it’s nothing short of a theatrical show.
We had a superb evening of dining at La Terrazza, all of the staff were a joy, nothing is too much trouble and they were always one step ahead making sure we were well looked after.
The Bill: £143 per head
