Milan: September 2022

Niko Romito’s project, Il Ristorante – Niko Romito, situated within the Hotel Bulgari, has been established not only in Milan but also in Beijing, Dubai, and Shanghai. These establishments are meant to serve as culinary bridges, bringing the grand classics of Italian cuisine to an international audience while maintaining their essence to please the most discerning of Italian palates.

But why such a large project?

The venture is part of an arrangement, signed in 2017, that saw Romito assuming control of an Italian restaurant within new hotels in the Bulgari chain, a subsidiary of the LVMH group. Uniquely, the Bulgari Hotel in Milan, opened in 2004, was integrated into this project in 2018 as an exception, a testament to the city’s economic and symbolic importance.

Il Ristorante’s cuisine

The genesis of the project took place two years prior at Romito’s lab in Casadonna, Abruzzo. Driven by a potent desire to champion and reinterpret Italian culinary tradition, Romito’s team immersed themselves in the iconic dishes of their homeland, employing contemporary techniques to study, deconstruct, and recode them for a modern palate. From spaghetti al pomodoro and cotoletta to vitello tonatto, and even tiramisù, each dish carries a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation.

The logistical challenge

Romito and his team painstakingly developed over 100 coded recipes, ensuring consistency and quality across different venues. Each chef responsible for the kitchens in these four restaurants spent a year under Romito’s tutelage, refining their skills, adopting his vision and culinary code. 

This philosophy transcends just the dishes; the same level of meticulous detail goes into the presentation, service, and overall dining experience, all of which form an integral part of his culinary code. Consequently, each restaurant, regardless of its location, adheres to the same menu, uses the same ingredients, and even shares the same ceramics, ensuring a unique yet consistent dining experience.

Surprisingly, despite our doubts on the ability to scale up the operations of a fine dining restaurant so quickly almost like a franchise, the concept seemed to work well during our visit. The chef in responsible for this endeavour at Bvlgari Hotel in Milan is Claudio Catino, who already a seasoned helmsman of the Bvlgari Hotel’s brigades in Beijing and Shanghai.

The ambiance

In early September, with the beautiful late summer weather, we enjoyed our meal outside in the gardens of the hotel. The ambiance is interesting. Characters that seem to be taken out of Paolo Sorrentino’s La grande bellezza, smoking their cigars at dusk on low lounge sofas, add a surreal touch or caricature of Milan’s upper classes. Observing the strange zoo from our table was an event in itself.

Other than that, the service was very attentive and warm. The only negative point is how dimmed the lights are as the night falls. You can appreciate this in our photos of the tasting menu.

The tasting menu

The 120 euro menu opens with a Estrato di pomodoro, a vibrant amuse-bouche, designed to tease and awaken the palate. Simple yet elegant, it utilizes ingredients such as tomato, oil, salt, olive oil, and a subtle hint of jalapeño. Romito’s aptitude for extracting pure, unadulterated flavours shines here. Similar to Yannick Alléno’s extractions, the chef has managed to distil the essence of a ripe summer tomato into a single, poignant bite. While the jalapeño note was elusive, its absence did not detract from the overall harmony of the dish. The judicious use of oil served to enhance the floral and sweet undertones of the tomato, previewing the flavour-enhancing techniques to be employed in the subsequent courses.

Romito takes great pride in his bread. The potato sourdough bread was indeed notable, served warm with a thin, crisp crust that gave way to the soft and tender sourdough inside. It was straightforward, but carried an unmistakable lactic note that reminded one of the joy of well fermented bread. The Croccante di sesamo bianco was more adventurous, with a texture reminiscent of a Parmesan cracker and a rich toasted sesame flavour that hinted at the addition of tahini. The concluding note, the Grissini aromatizzato al tartufo bianco, was a fine piece, with the lightest touch of white truffle aroma.

Then come the Antipasti all’italiana, an expedition through the gastronomic landscape of Italy, crafted with finesse and served with flair. This assortment revisits and reinterprets time-honored classics, treating diners to a smorgasbord of bite-sized delights that represent the diverse regions of the Italic Peninsula.

It begins with a Stracciatella– a testament to the power of simplicity. Featuring textbook flavours of exquisite tomato and aromatic olive oil, the melody is accentuated by dried herbs, oregano and lemon verbena, lending a subtle finesse that transcends the dish from simplicity to a subtle sophistication.

The next serving comes in the form of a grilled Calamaro, seeking purity through the power of its inherent flavours and the perfect caramelisation achieved on the grill. The calamaro was brushed with its ink, creating a visual cue that hints of charr from the grill, when in reality there is none. The oil, delicate and sweet only lubricates the bite and adds floral aromas.

Then comes the Picanha – a thinly sliced, slow-cooked ode to the heart of Italian cuisine. Its smoky bark is complemented with a rich beef glace, spiked with a hint of lemon and adorned with a brunoise of lemon zest, inviting a play of citrusy tang against the depth of the beef flavours.

The Vitello Tonnato follows, a notch below the lofty heights of Diego Rossi’s rendition (less tender and heavier sauce than at Trippa), yet holding its ground with its traditional flair. The sauce is unabashedly classic, exhibiting a rich interplay of capers and tuna, with a mysterious sprinkle of an orange-amber powder, likely bottarga, adding intrigue to the ensemble.

A Carpaccio di pesce, made from ricciola and spigola (amberjack and sea bass) brings the ocean to the palate. Their delicate sweetness is elevated by the floral olive oil. The former dances with capers and olives, bathed in a sweet pomodoro extract, while the latter pairs elegantly with the subtle spice of the pepperoncino.

However, not every piece soars. The Pasta al forno con besciamella fritta remains a comparatively mundane dish, possibly due to its cold state after waiting patiently on the table to be eaten. It’s the inevitable issue of serving such large assortment all at one. It might have an awe-inducing decadent effect, but it is at the detriment of enjoying some of the food past its peak of freshness.

Lastly, the Fiore di zucchini ripiene emerges as an intriguing enigma. The wait may have affected the crispiness of the fried flower, but the filling leaves a compelling imprint. Allow us to describe it as a ‘watery ricotta’, intriguingly imbued with a hint of fish and a herbal-orange note.

We accompanied the antipasti with a Alta Mora, Carricante 2020 by the glass recommended by the sommelier. A decent wine, wit notes of green apple, greengages, lime. It featured a refreshing high acidity, but lacked concentration or much interest.

The Tortello di panzanella, crema di burrata e basilico is a refined reinterpretation of a traditional Tuscan salad, where stale bread is combined with fresh tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. The chef has transformed the salad into a filling for tortelli and paired it with a velvety burrata cream and basil emulsion. The panzanella filling is intensely flavoured with fresh tomato, basil, olive oil, and a bit of bread. As a positive note, we could not feel the texture of the bread. Rather, the texture resembled that of a very dense tomato sauce. The tortelli are cooked al dente and coated with the burrata cream, which is smooth, rich, and slightly tangy. The basil emulsion adds a vibrant green colour and a refreshing herbal note to the dish.

The Calamaretto arrosto con salsa di carota, aceto e olive showcased the exquisite simplicity and freshness of Italian cuisine. The grilled baby squid was cooked to perfection, achieving a delicate texture that was neither too soft nor too tough. The flavours of the calamari were enhanced by the caramelisation of the surface, imparting a smoky and savoury note. The dish was accompanied by a light and airy carrot purée, sweet and pure in flavour, with a hint of acidity from the champagne vinegar. The vinegar, likely made from Chardonnay grapes, added a refined touch to the dish, creating a harmonious balance with the deep flavours of the grilled seafood. The dish was garnished with a brunoise of olives, which provided a subtle hint of saltiness and bitterness.For the last savoury course of our meal we switched to a delicious Brunello di Montalcino, also by the glass.

The Cotoletta di vitello alla milanese at Bulgari presented itself as a feast of self-indulgence and and example of Romito’s attempt to develop and evolve the Italian classics. Bear in mind that Italians are fiercely proud of their recipes. An abruzzese fiddling with a cotoletta in Milan can be taken as an offence.

And, yes, we are so glad that Romito was brave enough to create this more elevated version. The cotoletta, commendably thick yet tender, eschews the traditional pounding for a more robust and substantial mouthfeel. The is first steamed to an internal temperature of 58 degrees Celsius. This initial process is followed by a rest period of two days at a precise 4 degrees Celsius, allowing the meat to stabilize its juices and deepen its flavour. It then continues it’s journey with a bath in a paste of water and rice starch, before being coated in panko. A further rest in the refrigerator solidifies the bond between meat and crust, preventing the common problem of separation during cooking. Finally, the cutlet fried in clarified butter or seed oil, the choice of which leaves the meat’s natural flavour unaltered.

The dish is served unadorned, allowing the diner to fully appreciate the clear, concentrated taste of the veal. On the side, in a separate bowl, we were offered a caponata.

Jumping to the desserts, the Tiramisù is another masterclass in elevating a beloved classic through the virtuosity of technique and wisdom. It is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most exceptional rendition of tiramisù we have had the pleasure of experiencing. The mascarpone cream, thicker than usual and noticeably less yellow – an outcome we surmise due to the use of fewer yolks – boasted an intensified flavour of mascarpone that was both novel and deeply satisfying

The savoiardi, beautifully soaked with coffee, provided a delightful contrast, their robust flavour standing up against the rich mascarpone cream. They interplayed harmoniously, creating a symphony of flavours that was both familiar and surprising. The cocoa powder, used with judicious precision, was the proverbial cherry on top. It was present enough to make its presence felt, yet restrained enough not to overshadow the coffee nuances.

As a mignardise, the Bombolone di crema pasticcera, a Niko Romito classic, was a textbook execution of this classic Italian doughnut. A delightful explosion of warmth and creaminess. Each dough ball, fermented for 14 hours then fried, is filled with a rich crème pâtissière. It’s a familiar taste and texture, yet expertly crafted to perfection.

As we started the meal with an extraction, a Estratto di limone serves as an invigorating finale to the meal. This palate cleanser distills the essence of the lemon, not just its tart juice but also the aromatic zest and subtle bitterness of the peel. It is as if you’re experiencing an entire lemon in a single sip – vibrant, refreshing, and with an uplifting ‘tirami sù‘ (‘pick-me-up‘) effect. A pleasant way to culminate a gastronomic journey, leaving a lingering zestiness that refreshes the palate and awakens the senses.