TASTE OF MILAN – MUST VISIT RESTAURANTS DURING MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2021

Text by Steven Oen, image courtesy of each respective restaurant

Enjoy Taste Of Milan & Let The Good Times Roll

This year’s Salone del Mobile. Milano 2021, entitled Supersalone, is an exciting wait for design lovers. You will feel more the excitement of the atmosphere as it also welcomes Milan Design Week 2021! An innovative, iconic and unique edition, this fifty-ninth edition of Salone del Mobile. Milano will be held from 5 to 10 September 2021 while ensuring safety and health protocols amid the ongoing pandemic.

Let the good times roll!

Steven Oen, Manager of Prodotti Indonesia

Steven Oen, Manager of Prodotti Indonesia, shares with S&C his personal recommendation of restaurants/cafes to elevate your culinary experience while enjoying the design week and city of Milan.

Paper Moon Giardino
Much younger brother to the famous Paper Moon restaurant across the street, Paper Moon Giardino was opened in 2018 and housed within a 200-year old mansion in Palazzo Reina. Located in the Montenapoleone district in Via Bagutta, the restaurant is designed by Hong Kong-based interior design firm, AB Concept and furnished in custom Promemoria furniture – a nod to its neighbor (Promemoria showroom is next door). Aside from the beautiful interiors and an expansive garden where you can dine alfresco on cool spring days, there is the food (which with Paper Moon name) that never disappoints. The food is straightforward, only with the best ingredients. And their grilled octopus on a foam of potatoes is the best way to start.

Il Salumaio di Montenapoleone
Another one in the Montenapoleone district, this restaurant has been frequented by the crème de la crème of the fashion industry due to its location in the heart of the high fashion district in the fashion capital of Europe if not Italy. Located in Palazzo Bagatti Valsecchi, the coveted tables in this restaurant are in its courtyard. The courtyard is one of the most beautiful in Milan. Book months in advance for a table on the courtyard, and wonder you will be sitting next to Mr. Hidetoshi Nakata, Giorgio Armani or even Marc Newson

Pasticceria Marchesi
One of the oldest Pasticceria in Milan, this Pasticceria Marchesi was bought by Prada in 2014, and the pastries couldn’t have been more stylish since. While the original shop is preserved, the second store onward marks the Prada touch. The store was designed by Roberto Baciocchi, which designs Prada global boutiques. And interestingly the staff uniforms were also designed by the fashion house Prada (cool right?). There’s never a wrong time to stop by, in the morning standing in the bar getting cappuccino and a brioche, or after a long day, shopping sipping spritz for aperitivo.

Presented by Prodotti Indonesia

Ristorante Berton
Located in the modern Porta Nuova district, this one-star Michelin restaurant is head by chef Andrea Berton – the disciple of the founder of modern Italian cuisine Gualtiero Marchesi. The interiors are light, roomy, and low-key luxury, furnished by Giorgetti. The unusual ingredient on the menu is the broth that balances with the proper cuisine. Which then represents the final fusion of each of the main elements of the dish. The Risotto dishes here are impeccable, as they are the winner of the year’s Best Risotto for Le Guide de l’Espresso 2017.

Ceresio 7 Pools & Restaurant
Ceresio 7 is a restaurant, bar, and pool. This restaurant is the headquarters of the fashion brand Dsquared2, uniquely located on the rooftop of the historic Enel building designed by Dimore Studio. Two swimming pools with a 360° view of the urban horizon are a private place for a relaxed daytime also at night in a Milanese resort experience escape. It also offers cozy outdoor seating for enjoying the cool spring breeze in New Milan. Along with Unicredit Tower (currently the tallest building in Italy) as its centerpiece – a beautiful Milanese destination for frequent visits.

The Bvlgari Bar at Bvlgari Hotel Milan
The first Bvlgari hotel was opened in Milan in 2004 and designed by Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and Partners. The last pronounced renovation was in 2014, which saw new furniture from Antonio Citterio’s Flexform and Maxalto collection. However, it is the building’s contemporary architecture that has been agelessly matured with time. The facade in white marble enriched by eaves in black granite has been replicated everywhere. The location is nevertheless special, in the artistic Brera district and in the center of a 4.000 m2 private garden next to the Botanical Gardens –  which is almost unreal in Milan’s city center. This private garden is part of the restaurant and bar.

Pasticceria Cova
Cova is one of Italy’s oldest pasticceria (part of LVMH since 2013) since now only has one store in Italy, in Milan literally at the center of Via Montenapoleone – the junction of Via Montenapoleone and Via Sant’Andrea to be exact. Nothing beats afternoon leisure in this place; you could stop by for ten minutes just standing on the bar while enjoying your afternoon tea, or coffee, or wine of the day watching the busy scene of people with their shopping bags. And when the Salone days are too close with the Easter holidays, the windows dress festively.

Peck
When Milan hosted the World Expo in 2015, Peck was selected to represent the Italian mastery in fine-dining and catering service as the Official Restaurant of the Italy Pavilion. So needless to this 138-year-old institution is considered a reference, almost “holy” place in Milan. And now, Peck has branches in Japan, South Korea, and Singapore; even the shops on Via Spadari (one of the oldest streets in the city center, a few steps from the Duomo) are a must-visit culinary destination. If you want to dine in or browse the counter – you’ll be treated to delicious cuts of meat, fresh pasta, chocolate, or even high-quality coffee.

Ristorante Bice
This restaurant was tuck inside a small street at the end of Via Montenapoleone celebrates its 100th anniversary. Just across the beautiful Bottega Veneta home furnishings boutique, the restaurant vibes a welcoming atmosphere trapped in time – such a beautiful contrast with the glitzy boutiques nearby. The kitchen combines Tuscan and Milanese traditions, which tells you why the meat dishes here are excellent.

Stendhal Milano
Stendhal is an elegant restaurant that recalls Parisian bistros, located in the Brera district. The menu offers traditional dishes: a selection of appetizers, first courses with fresh pasta, second courses with meats and fish, various salads, and cold cuts and cheeses. The ambiance is simple with a slight retro taste, along with the modern art and the inevitable references to the writer Stendhal. The restaurant also has outdoor seating, which is rather charming for lunch or dinner.