Nobal Glomad

I’d arrived late evening to the lake-side town of Como, the end of the train line heading north from Fashion Week’d Milan. Like many of Europe’s seductive destinations, Como offers vista-on-heat perfection. It delivers a largely unchanged experience to what it would have been 100 years ago… enduring, ageless, mesmerising and an object of returnable elegance.

The next morning with limited ‘one day to see it all’ time and accompanied by the charming Clare Payne, a leader in international business ethics and fellow Glomad we boarded the lake ferry. It stitch-pattern zigzags between beauteous lake-side towns, manicured deciduous jardins (virgo heaven), classic and ever-desirable ligneus river boats, svelte water skiers, endless palazzos and hidden bays. Halfway into the delightful 2 1/2hr trip to Bellagio the ferry ride a small island approached. Had we thought to pre-trip purchase a few formaggio stuffed panini our destination would have been reached however the need to mangiere became paramount, and the tick-list Bellagio still an hour ahead quickly shifted to page two.

The ferry docked momentarily at Isola (island) Comancina, a small and picturesque wooded island with Locanda dell’Isola Comacina perfectly perched on the hillside being its only restaurant offering… besides a few scattered picnic tables set amongst ruins. All this was enough to prompt a united and decisive “Let’s go”. A winding staircase brings you to the classic Tuscan style eatery with vista loving open air dining offering a solid 250º of the calm lake waters, endless hillsides, palazzo’s and floating swans. Before us sat a celebrity worthy panorama perfecto table for two. “Sit sit sit” prompted a handsome blonde waiter with warm Ligurian charm. A quick once-over of the set menu (since 1947!) and we were on.

Comancins’s cuisine is quintessential northern Italian with cooking predominantly from the region. This is represented by generous pourings of the finest silky olive oil, not a green and peppery extra virgin but rather a silky sweet buttercup yellow nectar, fresh cracked pepper, sea salt, lemon, summer’s finest local fresh fruit and vegetables and well practiced centuries old cooking techniques.

And so the eat began.

The slaughter-loving utopia continued with wood-grilled River Salmon Trout (Trotta alla Contrabbandiera) drenched again in the signature lemon and oil with chunky cracked pepper, followed by fried then wood-oven baked chicken (Rottami di Pollo in Padella). Yum yummo yum. This meal reminds me of my passion for all things bistro… the art of being able to identify what’s on your plate with the added bonus of experienced chef-ery bringing the ordinary to life. (A brief side note: if you’re a disciple of the move towards minimalist cooking be sure to have a look at Jules Clancy’s The Stone Soup. She manages to cleverly inspire the palette with five or less ingredients… and you don’t need to be Mark Best to pull it off).

A slab of Parmiggiano Reggiano with a torn chunk of rustic panini followed by an adult-palette oriented Italian ice-cream with poached seasonal Peaches (Arance alla Castellana) complete the paunch pleasing itinerary for the afternoon.

With a price-tag of €63 there’s little point investing time trying to fault this adventure. For the travel, location and a glass or two of vino bianco alone I’d be happy to pay half. All the methods and flavours will be familiar but seem to work so much better in their native home. Service is wonderfully fresh and engaging and there’s no pressure to leave, allowing time to enjoy and discuss the region and all its gastronomic influences. Locanda dell’Isola Comacina as a Glomad experience is in a league of its own. You will be hard pressed to top this Como discovery. George Clooney’s grin on the wall of fame is definitely the ‘after’ of the three hour eat… one of the few ex-pats lucky enough to call this place his local.