The Bauers are amongst Venice’s most famous hotels, regularly hosting celebrities and with an enviable location overlooking the Grand Canal. They first opened in 1880 and today they are a collection of several centrally located and luxurious properties. We recently enjoyed dinner in their De Pisis Venice restaurant, located within The Bauer Palazzo. Arriving at the hotel, you find a contemporary exterior which contrasts with the historic 18th century palazzo at the rear. The spacious lobby is decorated with stylish artworks.
Heading through to the restaurant, the decor becomes more traditional. Teal blue wall coverings are accentuated by gold antique mirrors and furniture. We were warmly welcomed by the maitre d’, and led to a prime table with a view over the canal. It was a dark and rainy night but we could see the outdoor terrace and imagine how lovely that would be when the weather is favourable. Warm homemade bread arrived whilst we studied the a la carte dinner menu. The sommelier recommended a Colmello di Grotta Sauvignon to accompany our meal. This fragrant white wine hails from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in the North East of Italy.
We enjoyed a delicious complimentary amuse-bouche of deep-fried mozarella balls and courgettes. The head chef is Japanese and successfully marries Mediterranean dishes with Asian influences, for a truly unique taste.
My first course was a pleasing spider crab with Venetian salad, lemon and almonds. I liked the crispiness of the salad leaves and the concentrated zingy lemon which contrasted well with the tasty fresh crab.
Paul opted for an eye-catching beef carpaccio with porcini mushrooms and Asiago cheese. This Italian cow’s milk cheese has a creamy taste and a crumbly texture that reminded me a little of Parmesan.
For my main course, I savoured a turbot fillet with broccoli and wholegrain mustard. The fish was perfectly cooked and the mustard gave it an extra dimension.
Paul’s rolled sole fillets with Brussels sprout leaves were almost too pretty to eat…but eat them he did and he pronounced them to be excellent.
The desserts were a highlight – Paul had his favourite, a tiramisu with bitter cocoa and coffee. This one had a very contemporary presentation and the quality of the chocolate was excellent.
I enjoyed a moreish tarte tatin with pecan ice cream and anise crumble. On this rather cold, dark evening in Venice, it certainly brightened things up!
Finally, we savoured some pretty petit-fours and coffee before heading out into the rainy night. My favourite of these were the dark chocolate truffles.
We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at De Pisis Venice, it’s a true classic and well worth a visit – let’s drink to that!
De Pisis Venice, Bauer Palazzo, S. Marco 1413/d 30124 Venezia
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