Thread: Io Osteria

...located in the Groove adjacent to Central World. Got a little carried away at Io Osteria yesterday. This wonderful recently-opened Italian restaurant has been favorably reviewed...with good reason. It is run by a Neapolitan mama and her family who offer well-prepared Italian regional delights. We started with a Parma ham, burrata and arugula salad (fresh, light and perfectly balanced flavors). Our second appetizer was the star of the show: a seafood soup that was probably the best I've ever tasted...the kind where you dip bread into the soup to soak up as much goodness as possible. From that we moved on to the first main: a seafood medley over tagliatelle: tasty and delectably fresh frutti di mare...and a filet of sole recommended by the young and charming Italian waiter (mama's nephew?). The fish was sublime and added a light touch to our bountiful meal. Time for dessert: mama took me by the hand over to the display cabinet to help with my selection: panna cotta? (Bah...every day!); canoli? (too much after your meal!) ; tiramisu? (you find everywhere!)...those lovely decorated balls? (I give you two...free!). Finally, she pointed to a light cake of almond paste and tangy citrus that she had just prepared (there is your dessert!)...so it arrived with the deliciously rich chocolate balls. Another surprise: we had ordered various pizza slices for dinner. Mama doubled the order at no additional cost because...well, she's mama. Stuffed as we would have been at my own grandmother's table, we happily waddled off into the sunset, already dreaming of our next visit to Io Osteria...

The house cabernet was good; the service competent (that waiter!), the price reasonable (B3,400 including the pizza for dinner) considering the wine (3 glasses) and the quantity and quality of the food. We'll be going again in the near future to try other menu items that mama recommends.