Bucci Ristorante: James St

Just minutes away from the tackiness of the infamous Fortitude Valley, which is notorious for Brisbane's not so classy night life (don't get me wrong, there are great places in the Valley, but they are tucked away in the dominance of the beer stunk nightclubs)you can find yourself wandering around luxurious boutiques, spas and trendy restaurants of a quirky James Street, which has turned into an independent precinct.

On a Saturday night my girlies and I went to check out the newish exquisite modern Italian  restaurant Bucci (my IPad keeps  autocorrecting the name to Gucci, only reassuring me of the Italian class of the venue).

Thinking we are amazing chicks, we rocked up without a dinner reservation on a Saturday night to be greeted by a very polite manager with a sexy French? accent: 'Sorry, ladies, we are fully booked for tonight'... but guess what.. he went on saying ' but let me see, what we can do'  - just like that - no arrogant attitude, no  "Who do you think you are, coming like that?" glance, just a sincere desire to welcome unexpected guests.  "There is a table, that I can give you , ladies, until 7:30 pm, which will give you about an hour, our kitchen is pretty quick, so you definitely will have time to enjoy your dinner, and then you are more than welcome to have the digestives and desserts at the bar." 

Just like that we got the dinner 'problem' solved. The service was impeccable - attentive - but not intrusive. The wine glasses were never empty, the food arrived promptly. 

The food was absolutely delicious. This is definitely not your usual Italian with extremely creamy sauces and plates overloaded with pasta. No wonder Bucci is synonymous with light contemporary Italian cuisine using freshest ingredients. 

We started with Assagini - a fancy word for starters to share - ordering Burata Tartufata - Stretched curd cheese from Vanella cheese factory with crisp pancetta, truffle honey, blueberries & walnuts - just the description alone sounds deliciously mouthwatering - the flavour definitely got all my taste buds working, feeling the combination of sweet and sour, soft and firm.

Not surprisingly, the mains were no less than delicious as well, after all  Bucci is the brain child of a head chef Shaun Malone and the executive chef Spencer Patrick- both well known in the culinary world. 

Next time you a wandering around James Street, pop in to Bucci, but make sure you make a booking ;)

Design:   9/10

Drinks:   8/10

Food: 9/10

Service: 10/10

The highlight: The concept, and the food

Disappointment: If I have to come up with one - the coldness at the bar

Splurge: $$$

xoxo

The Foreigner