The menu is straightforward in its descriptions, and those descriptions make clear that this chef and this kitchen are not afraid of complexity and hard work. Four tasting menus are offered at 110€, 120€, 130€ and 150€ (with wine pairings at 80€.) I chose four courses from the carte, for which you should allow around 120€+.
I began with steamed lobster with cream of carrots and ginger. The crustacean was so tender, so full of flavour and so carefully flattered by the sauce that I thought this would be the highlight of the meal. But no: the pasta course soared heavenwards in its brilliance. This tagliolini, with porcini mushrooms and abundant shavings of black truffle atop, was so perfectly realised that I could easily have gone on for the entire meal with repeat orders. But then I would have missed the fine Laticauda lamb with umami of peppers, potatoes and broccoli and the lovely tart of wild strawberries with meringue foam and orange sauce. This was a magnificent dinner and confirmed that Il Buco’s kitchen is full of intelligence and generosity of spirit.
The wine list of over one thousand labels is, like the menu, contained within an ‘ipad’. For someone of my supreme level of technological incompetence, this can present something of a challenge, but the members of staff at Il Buco are used to directing me through its hundreds of entries. Many temptations from France are offered, alongside the Italian selection. Prices are friendly, and you will find lots of bottles for 50€ or so. Grand clarets abound and, if your pockets are deep, you can indulge in the likes of Latour and Pétrus or stay in Italy to sample sublime super-Tuscans like Ornellaia, Sassicaia, Solaia and Masseto. But I had clear proof that very good drinking could be done here for modest cost, when I quaffed a big, buttery chardonnay (Bellavista, Curtefranca, 2018) and revelled in a well-balanced, elegant aglianico from Paestum (Kleos, Maffini, 2021).
Sorrrento is rightly proud of Chef-patron Giuseppe Aversa. He is one of its glories. And Il Buco is a wonderful restaurant.
