Il Ristorante - Niko Romito

A menu that truly serves as the universal code of our cucina moderna.What's the best way to explain contemporary Italian cuisine to a public of high spending foreigners unfamiliar with the real essence of our table? This is what 3 Michelin star Abruzzese chef Niko Romito - surely one of our strongest culinary voices - asked himself when Bulgari approached him to take over the group's luxury hotel restaurants. His answer was Il Ristorante Niko Romito, and a menu of definitive, almost archetypal versions of our most iconic dishes (and some less known ones) that truly serves as the universal code of our cucina moderna. Starting with the antipasto all’Italiana, a grand tour of small plates perfectly capturing how Italians do antipasto throughout the country, on to the ultimate spaghetto al pomodoro, lasagna verde and cotoletta alla milanese, to name a few; I like how much attention they devote to vegetable sides, and to a very Italian idea of condiment - and service. Currently in Milan (near the Duomo and La Scala theater) but also Dubai, Beijing, Shanghai, Paris (with further openings already planned worldwide), Il Ristorante isn't just a place to go for a few hours of refined pleasure: it's a bona fide cultural operation. (If you have a chance to travel beyond Milan, I recommend also trying the full range of Romito's restaurants: Reale, Spazio and Alt).