I think its really nice that we try a nice restaurant wherever we go in the world. Of course, once the countdown to Frugality ends, we will do less of that.
I digress.
Becco was highly recommended by one of Jay’s colleagues, a lovely girl named Belinda. We don’t normally go for Italian food since Jay is not a big fan of Italian. However, he did enjoy this meal. Bookings are recommended over the weekend.
Becco is hidden away in one of the lanes off Bourke Street. When we found it, I felt like we found something special! Ooh lala!
The interior is really cosy. I imagine that over the weekend, it would be jam packed and loud with conversation. We had just gotten off the plane, checked in to our hotel and left for dinner on a Wednesday night which meant it was quiet(er) and perfect for a date.
Jay never looks like he is tired which is why he is always my model. We start off with half a bottle of wine and crusty bread. I loved the olive oil. It had a very green tea flavour and scent to it.
I was not very hungry (but!) for food’s sake, we shared an entree of Quail wrapped in prosciutto on gnocchi romana ($22). Gnocchi romana? What is that? I had to ask. Basically it was a gnocchi made of Semolina. I imagined little pillows of gnocchi but instead it was a round cake. Apologies for the bad picture…
The semolina gnocchi was really soft and soaked up the beautiful meaty sauce peppered with grape. The quail had a crispy skin and the fresh baked thyme added a lovely leafy herb flavour. Eating this made me believe I could chew on baked thyme all day.
There was a special that sounded interesting. Agnolotti stuffed with chicken and mortadella. It also looked lovely with the orange pine mushrooms and goat cheese fluffing about the dish.
It was cooked in burnt butter. When I have stuffed pasta, I normally grow tired of its taste quickly. However, the mortadella (which is a ham normally stuffed with olives but varies) did not allow the flavour to tire out. The pine mushrooms (also known as saffron milk caps) tasted nutty with a meatier texture than other mushrooms I have tasted. Delicious.
I ordered the lamb backstrap with brussel sprouts in bagna cauda ($39.50). It was good but I think their pasta would fare better judging from the agnolotti. The lamb was tender but it lacked the juiciness I looked forward to as I bit into it. I suspect the lamb juices escaped into the brussel sprouts because they were soft and flavoured with lamb. The bagna cauda sauce was garlicky. Its savoury creaminess complimented the dish really well.
On the side, we had an insalata caprese ($11) for a bit of freshness (tomato), softness (Bocconcini) and tanginess (Balsamic vinegar). Never fails to deliver…all you need are fresh ingredients.
Despite Jay’s lack of interest in Italian food, he really enjoyed Becco. I think that says a lot about the restaurant. 
