Andrea Antonini is the new chef at the Imàgo restaurant in Rome, on the top floor of the historic hotel that is the Hassler. On the summit of Trinità dei Monti
The first to trust him behind the stove was Andrea Fusco who, with his restaurant Giuda dancer! (from the favorite curse of Dylan Dog) he established himself as a forerunner of creative Roman cuisine. Today Andrea Antonini, born in 1991, grew up in Spinaceto, Roma Sud area, agrarian studies made unwillingly, dishwasher at the Corte dei Conti canteen is the new chef of the Imàgo restaurant on the top floor of the historic hotel that is the Hassler. On the summit of Trinità dei Monti.
At the interview, Antonini presents himself with a white chocolate with yuzu, the "divo" of citrus fruits, just to make it clear that for him, desserts are a serious matter. "The menu is in fieri, but I'm sure I'll put in a soufflé and the petit four cart. A cart of desires , he anticipates.
A decision surely inspired by the professional experiences in the land of Spain. «I worked for over a year with Quique Dacosta (3 Michelin stars from Denia, Costa Blanca, ed ) and Juanfra Valiente, the most creative mind I have ever known. I even cooked jellyfish with them, but I didn't have the courage to eat them, "he recalls amused.
Then it was the turn of another temple of world cuisine, El Celler de Can Roca (3 Michelin stars of Girona, ed) where the sweets of Jordi, master pastry chef, are a joy for the eyes and the palate. "It is there, in a brigade of 30 people, that I learned how to organize a kitchen. A 140-seat car per day. Infallible". And it is precisely there that Andrea wins the prize for creativity announced by Joan Roca. Recipe? Romanissima: red mullet, panzanella and lemon. Italianness is almost a mantra for the young cook (he hates the word chef) who took the baton of Francesco Apreda, a Neapolitan with a touch of the Orient on the palate, to Imàgo. "Of his menu, certainly without the use of spices. But in our kitchen (there are 8 of us and works closely with Matteo Taccini, his contemporary, already at work at the Enigma restaurant in Barcelona, ed) the extra virgin olive oil, the vegetables of the Roman agro, the water will reign supreme. We have decided to eliminate the vacuum and satisfy the seasonality of the raw materials. I would also like to include the butter and oil service. Certainly, the best butter is the French one with which all the great cooks roast the meat , he fends off. Also good for making desserts.
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