TRAVEL
Michelin Milan cont...
RISTORANTE VERAMENTE
OLD-SCHOOL CHARM MEETS MODERN ITALIAN DINING
OPENING IN 2024 IN THE HEART OF BRERA, VEREMENTE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STRIP AWAY THE FUSS AND SIMPLY COOK ITALIAN FOOD THE WAY IT SHOULD BE, WITH RESPECT FOR TRADITION, QUALITY INGREDIENTS AND BY NOT OVERCOMPLICATING TECHNIQUES THAT CAN OBSCURE FLAVOUR. PACKAGED IN A RETRO BISTRO EXPERIENCE THAT EVOKES A COMBINATION OF ITALIAN LIVING ROOMS FROM THE 70S AND RESTAURANT DINING OF THE 80S WITH A NOSTALGIA FOR RECORDS AND READING, RISTORANTE VERAMENTE IS ALL WHITE LINEN TABLE CLOTHS, TRADITIONAL NAPKINS, WARM WOOD AND VINTAGE CHARM- A PLACE WHERE BOTH LOCALS AND VISITORS FLOCK. OH, AND IT BOASTS A FAMILIAR EXECUTIVE CHEF.
Not content with his Michelin namesake, opening You & Me’ s first underwater restaurant( H20 Underwater Restaurant) in the Maldives, adding a new outdoor terrace designed by architect Franco Driusso to Ristorante Berton and opening Vista Ostuni, a dual bistro and and garden restaurant experience, Andrea Berton has also overseen culinary direction of Veramente which was founded by Gianmarco Venuto, Filippo Sironi and brothers Filippo and Marco Mottolese- all born in 1989- with deep ties to the restaurant industry.
Their shared passion for food and commitment to quality ingredients has led them to create a space dedicated to reviving authentic Italian cuisine, offering simple, comforting dishes that evoke childhood memories. The result is a dining room that combines both classic and contemporary design( red brick arches, wooden finishes and brass chandeliers) with a main dining space for 90 guests alongside a private room for 15, outdoor dining and a cool bar counter all to the backdrop of classic Italian tunes from the 60s to the 80s.
We, of course, had to begin with pizza. A choice rewarded by proper Neopolitan dough with a blistered, charred crust, lashings of house passata with arrabbiata bringing gentle heat, and the combination of mozzarella and pecorino adding complexity while pops of yellow cherry tomatoes provided sweetness and acidity. Next, the grilled beef fillet with oven roasted potatoes brought straightforward excellence; quality meat, cooked simply yet precisely, and potatoes crisp-edged and fluffy with notes of rosemary and garlic.
The house Milanese risotto with beef stock and gremolata, however, was why we came- a choice quickly justified by tables of surrounding locals ordering the same. Saffron-yellow, creamy without being heavy and finished with a classic gremolata of lemon, garlic and parsley that cut through the richness, it tasted like Milan itself: honest and satisfying.
Dessert here is already renowned( and can be seen splashed over social media). The homemade fior di latte gelato arrives tableside on a trolley bearing a massive swirl of pure white ice cream- that‘ flower of milk’ Sicilian classic made with nothing but cream, milk and sugar. You choose your scoop amount and your toppings that include sharp raspberry sauce or our pick of pistachio sauce, and various others including chopped nuts, chocolate pearls and sprinkles. It’ s theatre, nostalgia and genuinely excellent gelato all at once. A gentle reminder that Italians take their food( and their gelato) seriously, but that often the best meals are the relaxed ones.
ristoranteveramente. it veramente _ ristorante
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