Ristorante Osteria Al 29 In Milano

07/09/2025: 28 Posti redeemed Milan’s food scene for us. Tucked into a not-so-trafficked alley near the popular Navigli district, the restaurant is chic as one would expect in looks-obsessed Milan but not overly so that it came across trying too hard. There was also an interesting voyeuristic dimension to the kitchen with its counter-level viewing window. The staff was relaxed, professional, and knowledgeable of the dishes. We opted for the three-tastings surprise menu; the kitchen would essentially determine what we would be eating. Both diners were expected to eat the same three dishes. Luckily for us, they kindly diverged on my dining companion’s main entrée. The experience began with a trio of delicious amuse bouches. For the antipasti, tenderly grilled aubergine laced with an herb and burnt aubergine oil, accompanied with an apricot umeboshi. The Primi consisted of a delicious pasta that we had never heard of or had before, Lumachini, immersed in a fish and roasted tomato broth. The Secondi were slightly uneven but not in an unpleasant way, my entrée (grilled white fish with a white asparagus sauce) while delicious and ample paled in amount compared to my fellow diner’s, which included three chunks of lamb, a potato and kimchi tzatziki, chickpea hummus, a piece of naan bread, a potato puree with lamb jus reduction, and even a Milanese meatball (a mondeghili). The icing on the cake was being offered a complimentary trio of pickled melons for dessert.

02/09/2025: Excellent cuisine in a warm and welcoming setting. The service provided excellent explanations of the various dishes.