QUALITALY_134

May/June 2023 VIII MAGAZINE are the key that determines the result. Every thought I have could not be implemented and realised without the guys who work with me, who sacrifice themselves for me, believing in me and in my project. WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE OF YOUR CATERING? WHAT DO YOU GIVE THE CUSTOMER? ‘Sui generis’ is a fusion of ideas, a kitchen composed of moments that become an ecstasy, always growing and always becoming. We add design, flair, we want to convey something that stays with our customers for a long time, we share taste and well-being. HOW DO YOU PROCESS YOUR DISHES FROM ONE SEASON TO THE NEXT? We opened on 26 February 2023, and since that day the common theme has been ‘continually evolving’. From this logic, the à la carte menu and tasting routes have taken shape, based on the enhancement of the territory, ingredients from local producers and the best ingredients the world can offer us. ARE THERE ANY EVER-PRESENT DISHES OR THOSE YOU ARE MOST FOND OF? The menu always stems from the season and the availability of ingredients. To the chosen food raw material, always with an eye on environmental sustainability, is associated memory, that is, techniques learned in Italy and around the world, and past memories. To all this and to environmental sustainability - we also have the garden where we grow and harvest vegetables and herbs - must be added human sustainability, research, the transformation of tradition, taste and passion. WHAT ARE YOU EXPERIMENTING OR WORKING ON IN DETAIL? I am working a lot on extractions and flavour concentrations but, above all, I am working on myself being the change I would like to see in the world. And that goes beyond recipes and puts people at the centre. WHAT DO YOU MEAN? In ‘Sui generis’ we have a kitchen completely open to the dining area where everyone can observe the work and how it is done. Mutual respect prevails and acts of bullying that some TV programmes have accustomed us to are banned. It sounds strange but we use simple, mutually supportive words like ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’: they are our mantras. WHAT ARE THE ABSOLUTE MERITS OF YOUR COOKING? A combination of aesthetics and taste, growth, sustainability, respect for the environment and seasonality, respect for the cycle of nature without forcing it. HAUTE CUISINE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY QUALIFIED WAITING SERVICE: HOW DO YOU SEE THE CONNECTION? They are two sides of the same coin, and our restaurant has an equal division of space, half dedicated to the kitchen and half to the dining room. The lounge is the face of the kitchen, the completion, we are the yin and yang, day and night closing perfectly like a circle. AND WHEN IT COMES TO WINE AND... MORE? We opened the restaurant with a wine list to start with; Giampiero Compare has done a wonderful job, we are working to make the most of this. And since for us every detail makes a difference, we have planned a water, spirits, coffee and infusions list. All printed on recycled paper, created from coffee and corn waste. __________________________________ RECIPE Tasting courses It is emblematic to observe that the manifesto of ‘Sui generis’ is also expressed through the title of a work by the great Paul Gauguin , Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going? , the painting that draws attention to the great questions of humanity. In the same way, Alfio Nicolosi, with his triple tasting courses, recounts through taste how the flavours of the past are a bridge, subtle but solid, towards a cuisine that is not taken for granted, made of beauty for the eye and the palate, composed of a semantic explosion of colours just like the French artist’s canvas. It will be all about becoming between emotions and sensations as you savour White beans, black squid and sea asparagus, protagonists in the neptunus menu together with Opalys, lime and raspberries; similarly, the Riso mantecato, smoked eel and bittersweet onion is to be savoured in the ‘Sui generis’ course, just to mention a few of the excellences. Every recipe takes on new guises even if you start with tradition, as is the case with Cuttlefish and Peas, a classic with which Chef Nicolosi plays with the basic elements, revisiting them with a touch of the Orient. The illusion is given by the shape the dish takes - that of the nigiri - but the rice is replaced by the cuttlefish. The fished cuttlefish is processed raw giving it the rice shape and marinating it lightly, to compose it just like a nigiri. In addition, a pea cream flavoured with ‘Sui generis’ hortus mint, lemon, oil and grated wasabi root is added, as well as flowers and garnishes. Buttons of nettles and zincarlin, ramson garlic and mushrooms are also linked to childhood memories and the spring scents of the same ramson garlic that gives rise to the dish. The fil rouge is the undergrowth, despite the different environments in which mushrooms, nettles and ramson garlic can be picked, a recipe with great minerality, capable of enhancing the seasonality of the elements. The balsamic note present and the addition of zincarlin create a perfect balance. __________________________________