I confess it: in my free time I always tend to go to the same restaurants, a little out of laziness a little because I need to get out of the discovery / research / criticism mood that has always characterized my work. But when a friend proposed us an after cinema The Api Osteria (it is written like that) which I had heard and read only well, I said yes.
Meanwhile, let's define the geographical area: Milan, zone XXII Marzo. After seeing Hammamet (where I assure you Pierfrancesco Favino who plays Bettino Craxi is monumental and I would immediately give him the Oscar), we sat in this small restaurant. Full glance, but not repulsive, not too noisy (to speak one does not need to read the lip), adequate light to see the dishes and the faces without feeling questioned, slightly subdued design (somewhat basic tables and chairs ). Menu along the right.

I order Vitello tonnato cooked in pink dot with cranberries soaked in grappa and fresh pear. Definitely good, meat with the right consistency, excellent flavor / tenderness ratio, the sauce has personality, the aroma of grappa is light while blueberries awaken the palate when you are getting used to the creamy consistency of the dish. My friends order creamed cod, artichoke cream and barigoule artichokes, Taggiasca olives and Venus puffed rice. Personally I never order cod because in the end it is always too salty. This is not the case and then the combination with the creaminess of the artichokes is a revelation. Pisarei (which are flour and breadcrumbs gnocchi) follow with prawns, bacon and lentil cream with rosemary. Applause for the bacon, crispy at the right point, the presence of rosemary that is known to be hard to manage is a little exaggerated. They are those ingredients that if you distract yourself invade all the other flavors. Closing: Caramel mousse, raw cut orange almond sauce with waffle. Very fine as an idea, all very fresh thanks to the presence of citrus, but also very much greedy. A nice dinner, suitable cost, € 85 for two and we also took seconds, plus there were several bottles of a Trentino chardonnay. Bravo lo chef Hide Matsumoto, already in the Davide Oldani brigade of the D’O restaurant in Cornaredo. Definitely someone who knows what he is doing and who cooks our tradition with the ability to broaden horizons without distorting the base. The only drawback: a slightly lukewarm service, without empathy, I lacked a little warmth (leapiosteria.com).