This morning the Snook and I headed over to Accoutrement for a cooking class with Armando Percuoco, Sydney’s top Italian chef. It turned out to be more of a demonstration than a hands-on thing, but we had a great time nevertheless. Armando is a charmer! Very funny and entertaining. He made us three courses: mussels gratin (with breadcrumbs, parsley, and garlic on top), gnocchi sorrentina, and a baked apple dessert. We got a small portion of each to taste along with a couple glasses of wine. The mussels were amazing. (And you know what that means coming from me, a former ostraconophobe.) Tender and delicious and very moreish. We were surprised at Armando’s gnocchi technique – he prefers a very rustic look – but they were so light and tasty. I especially liked the provolone cheese he used (wonderfully smoky). The dessert was a slight let-down for me, simply because I prefer my baked apples with a little more flavour (like cinnamon). But overall we really enjoyed ourselves. Armando was entertaining, the food and wine were lovely, and we even learned a few things. Highly recommended!