There are a number of resources available which give you some clues as to where to take pictures that are less ‘busy’, people wise. You can see the hordes of people in the distance above trying to snap the ‘Bridge of Sighs’, I was on the Ponte de San Provolo further along the canal, nicely quiet and with the added interest of a Servizio Gondole, where you can loose many euros for the privilege of a trip in Venices traditional ‘rowing’ boat.

My arrival was midday Sunday, the afternoon was chilled and relaxed, the evening was to be the 1st culinary adventure, so back to the hotel to get ready. The rooms at A Tribute To Music Residenza are subtly themed, mine being the Mozart Room, No.103. It was comfortable and functional, I did not want, or need 24hr room service, staff wearing suits etc. It was perfect for my intention, a spectacular view, and a base to explore.

I was off to ‘LOCAL’ a 1 Michelin star restaurant for my 1st evenings treat, and what a night it was to be.

I arrived a few minutes early and watched the staff briefing through the glass fronted building. The location, in Salizzada dei Greci was a 5 minute walk from the hotel, nice. I was ushered in and lead to a table overlooking the cooking, brilliant, I could see some of the action.

During my afternoon wander I had visited the restaurant and seen the mise en place in action, the kitchen team prepping for evening service, I was really looking forward to my first tasting menu.

Local is the masterpiece of siblings Benedetta and Luca Fullin, with Salvatore Sodano running back of house, creating culinary treasures, and Maitre Sommelier Manual Trevisan doing an awesome job front of house, assisting with service and pairing wines with considered expertise. The food was pushing the limits and the wine matching would need to do the same.

Having seen the reviews and comments on numerous social media sites, the food could be described as controversial, personally, I would say more like unbelievably inventive, something to really test your palate and definitely to embrace with open arms (well mouth), it was an experience I will positively remember, truly magical.

Prior to the trip, I hade been checking each month, making reservations in 11 restaurants took some considerable effort, what, 11, yep, this was a foodie extravaganza and I wanted to pack in as much as an experience as possible during my week in Venice.

So, I chose the 9 course tasting menu, pictured above with wine flight, why not, a chance to see the expertise of both the kitchen and the sommelier, I was not disappointed in the slightest it was all just brilliant!

The first course of cicchetti was a stunning ‘mystery’, each item had been eloquently explained but in my excitement, I had forgotten what I had eaten, I could certainly remember each element being sublime, brilliant, sometime unusual but definitely delicious. I beckoned Benedetta, and within minutes, she had kindly written the description of each cicchetti as can be seen above left.

Manual did an awesome job with the wine pairings, each perfectly matched Salvatores stunning food, especially surprising was my 1st taste of ‘raw’ prawns, they are so so fresh in Venice and perfectly safe to eat, I had them several times during the week. Also stunning was the Squid Ink dish, another surprise. The sweetbreads were standout, to be honest the meal was just brilliant, all of it.

Each course is described on a small card which was a lovely touch, a souvenir to take away, a card personally signed by the whole team was also something different, another personal touch.

One surprise was the cod, its tongue and pil pil, particularly the origin and connection to The Lofoten Islands in Norway, my foodie destination in 2023, a perfect link and totally unexpected. The descriptions on the cards provided a culinary story, some context and reasoning behind each of the dishes, a really great idea as this is often lost in a traditional ‘menu’. Some dishes had their process described, the curing of fish, why and the result, nice.

Would I recommend LOCAL, hell yes, it was an unexpected culinary journey through a valley of tastes, textures and flavours which was really testing, but in a positive way. The extremely clever use of salt and sweet in some of the dishes was perfectly balanced and a real joy.

Service was unfussy but attentive enough to feel special. At the end of the meal I was invited to meet chef Salvatore and Manual for a quick chat, we discussed the menu, the critiques and his passion for pushing the boundaries, it was a truly delightful evening, another I will never forget, thank-you to everyone at LOCAL for a perfect 1st evening in Venice, Graci Mille indeed.

……………………. Until next time ……………. L8ers ………………