La Chicchera Caffè In Piacenza

18/03/2024: A place I didn't know about, discovered thanks to a video on Youtube on the channel "What are we eating today?" where the best rice bombs from Piacenza are tasted. The "gastropub" is decorated to be welcoming and informal, I have to say I really appreciated the irregular wooden tables and the aesthetics of the plates/bowls/cutlery. For our lunch we ordered: - Barbier's giardiniera, tasty and quality - Tigullio anchovies accompanied with aromatic herb butter, a perfect appetizer to enjoy with creamy butter and focaccia - rice bowl, crunchy and filled with pigeon ragù, perfect portion to avoid making it a heavy dish - blackberry pickles marinated in paprika accompanied by apples and vegetables, perhaps the dish that surprised me the most due to the flavor and consistency of the meat - tiramisu with homemade ladyfingers, very balanced with a good but light mascarpone cream As for wine, as usual, when the staff seems competent I let myself be guided and this time too it went well. I drank a macerated Malvasia (Maiolo) which I really appreciated. The bill seemed in line with the quality of the lunch. For two appetizers, the rice bomb, a meat main course, two desserts, three glasses of wine and water we spent 88 euros. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that despite the abundant lunch I left without feeling any sense of heaviness. All courses were well prepared and balanced. Absolutely recommended place, you can eat well in a quiet and pleasant environment.

18/02/2024: Truly a wasted opportunity: on the one hand the objectively delicious food, on the other the waiting times (25 minutes to take the orders, another 25 for the course), the room temperature well below 20 degrees, the friendly service but approximate, the quantity/price ratio, the burnt bread. A real shame but in the end we have to answer the question: "Would I go back?" ... no, I wouldn't go back