When visiting Tuscany, you have to try the Tuscan cuisine, then maybe you’ll understand a bit more why we’re so happy to be moving to this beautiful - and delicious - place permanently. A little less than a 20 minute drive from La Torre, you’ll pass by the stunning town of Montaione until you get to a fraction of the town called Le Mura - where Il Caminetto is located. The setting is very relaxed and tranquil with a beautiful view of the Tuscan countryside. The restaurant has a rustic style that you can dine in for lunch or for a wonderful romantic dinner inside.
What we ate
We went to this restaurant for the first time with our friend Lydia and her family, we all agreed to get a few different dishes so that we could get the chance to try as many things as possible.
For the antipasto, we got bruschetta with fresh tomato, extra virgin olive oil and basil, coccole (fried dough, when literally translated means cuddles - ha!), a mix of salumi, prosciutto crudo and cheese with honey. We could really tell that the food was fresh produce as the tomatoes were juicy, the parmigiano, pecorino and gorgonzola were strong in taste and the honey, which is made in Montaione, balanced the taste of savoury cheese with its sweetness.
For the first course, Scott and another friend chose the ‘Pappardelle al Sugo di Cinghiale’, Pappardelle pasta with a succulent wild boar and black olive sauce. This dish is the most Tuscan you can get and really shows the flavours of this region’s cuisine. Angus decided to try something new as he usually always goes for any pasta with cinghiale sauce, he went for ‘Pasta alla Maremmana’ which is a ragu with salsiccia (sausage), pomodori (tomatoes) and rucola (rocket). This pasta was lighter than the traditional ragu and enriched with seasoning. The last of the first course meals that we ordered, was Lydia’s ‘Gnocchi con Pecorino e Pera’ - Gnocchi with pecorino cheese and pears. We thought that this was a rather strange combination of tastes to put on pasta but we were definitely blown away by how mouth-watering this dish was. The pecorino was tasteful and the hint of sweetness from the tiny pieces of pear complimented the dish excellently.
For the second course, we decided to share a platter of fried vegetables of the season alongside fried chicken and rabbit as we were already quite full with the abundant first courses. The fried vegetables included, fiori di zucca (the flower of courgettes), courgettes, onions, carrots and cauliflower, which weren’t too oily and just crunchy enough. We couldn’t really tell the difference between the chicken and the rabbit, but we came to the conclusion that the smaller pieces were rabbit, nethertheless, both were very tasty.
With the variety of options to choose from for wine, we couldn’t come to decide. We knew we wanted white wine, so the waiter surprised us with a bottle of Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The first bottle we tried was very strong and a bit too crisp, however the second bottle of Vernaccia di San Gimignano went down really well and had more of a fruity finish to it. A few of us got quite tipsy, despite having eaten so much!
Last but not least, for dessert some of us got Pannacotta with caramel and the rest of us ordered Profiteroles. The Pannacotta was delicious as well as the caramel, it wasn’t too sweet nor salty, the sauce complimented the dessert marvellously. As for the Profiteroles, they were luxurious! The cream inside had a delightful texture and the chocolate tempted us to get some more.
The menu may change slightly depending on the season, but we can assure you that you will not be disappointed whatever time of year you choose to visit Il Caminetto.
Atmosphere: 8
Experience: 9
Food: 9
Service: 8
