J.K. Place Lounge

Located in Santa Maria Novella’s Plaza, J.K. Place is a small boutique hotel (you can read the article about the hotel here) that tries to give the maximum exclusiveness to the clients, there are no spacious halls, the environment is calm and the decoration is taken to the limit of good taste. The goal is privacy and service excellence. This is the reason why there’s just a small signboard and the emblematic terrace to makes us realize we are at the hotel.

Back to the terrace, that is the first contact we have with the hotel’s Lounge, is optimized for the hot and sunny days of Florence and during the rest of the year the place to see and be seen among the locals at appetizers time. Inside the room, the decoration keeps the same lines of the hotel, with low tables and chairs, and indicating we are there to enjoy more casual meals, a small snack or a cocktail.

The menu has a clear Italian influence, with a contemporary touch in the presentation and combinations. There’s also the possibility to order the dishes in small portions to share, like some Tuscan snacking. We started the meal with a nice Prosecco, as usual in the Region, and an excellent bread selection (which is not that frequent).

Pumpkin Cream
Interesting pumpkin cream, with emphasis on the velvety texture and correct seasoning with spicy notes.

Caprese Salad
Fresh and splendid buffalo mozzarella in its classic combination with tomato, here replaced by cherry tomato, and basil. A light and fresh starter.

Accompanied by a glass of Erste+Neue Graner Pinot Grigio 2012, with nice minerality, freshness and acidity.

Ricotta raviolis, with vegetables ragù
A vegetarian dish with emphasis on the giant ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese. The pasta had the right thickness and filling, working very well with a very aromatic vegetable sauce where the highlight goes mostly to the celery as well to the sweetness of the carrot. A good dish.

Went very well with an Erste+Neue Stern Sauvignon Blanc 2012, fruity and floral with a very good acidity and aftertaste.

Spaguetti with octopus, tomato sauce
A less usual combination of pasta and octopus with a light sauce of cherry tomato sauteed with basil. On spot pasta, with sea flavor and working very well with the mollusk. A less positive note to the texture of the octopus, stiffer than the ideal.

Pairing with the dish a Le Coste Rosso di Montalcino 2009, with well-presented wood and red fruits with a strong presence.

Tiramisu
The usual Italian dessert, with a delicate and tasty mascarpone cream, with right amount of coffee and cocoa. An excellent option.

Pistachio Ice Cream
An ice cream that does not compromise, despite being a few levels below the other tasted dishes. Good texture, but industrial taste, and taking into account the tradition of the Italian ice cream confection we always expect more.

The Service is extremely professional, cordial and present in the key moments, allowing us to enjoy maximum privacy, which doesn’t always happen. The wine selection in glasses, not being brilliant, serves its purpose very well.

Final Remarks
J.K. Place’s Lounge follows the lines of the Hotel and aspires to be exclusive and give its clients the best possible service, and that’s accomplished. Out of the kitchen come simple creations of Italian base, not compromising its origins, and winning when the tasting is on the beautiful terrace. A place to visit, not only by those who follow the trends of fashion and luxury but also by those who want a light meal in a relaxed environment and less frenetic that in many restaurants in the city. Seems that the brunch, at Sundays, is a must, who knows in a next visit to Florence.

J.K. Place
Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, 7 – Florença
info@jkplace.com

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