Among the grandeur of the city's longest-standing hotel, Chef Domenico Candela weaves his creations at the crossroads of two geographical ties, staying true to Campanian culinary heritage. But the Grand Hotel Parker's holds even more surprises, indulging in the recollection-inspired dishes of Le Muse to the "007"-style drink list.
The hotel
It's remarkable to think that 153 long years have not dimmed the vibrant colors of this Neapolitan wall painting. The past remains vivid, accessed even now, projecting history with pride into the present. Where once the soft footsteps of Oscar Wilde and the galloping ideas of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti echoed, today history stands tall, immersing guests in a whirlwind of immortal scenes. No, Parker's is not just the hotel with the city's longevity record; it's a skim flight over a land that uniquely blends warmth and beauty, art and people.
This place has welcomed suitcases, pens, minds, and illustrious faces from around the world. They are drawn to a palace where opulence sheds its chilly elitist attire to display a genuine welcoming smile. Perhaps it's the elegance on tiptoes that has marked its transiton through the centuries, since George Parker - a distinguished English biologist with a knack for entrepreneurship - chose to acquire the ancient Tramontano Beau Rivale in 1870. He laid the foundation of a luxury directly proportionate to the aged charm of the building.
Thus, his name split between the hotel and the internal Michelin-starred restaurant, as the business continues to grow visibly under the Avallone family's wing. Newly royal suites and cozy exhibition spaces were added, recently enriched with the works of Campanian master Antonio Nocera. Initially, stepping in feels like entering a luminous bubble, but a few steps upward reveal a full-field preview that quickly captures the hearts of newcomers, showing them the best face of Naples.
Le Muse restaurant and cocktail bar
Equally often immortalized and elusive to depict, the sixth-floor lounge area challenges the interiors on equal ground. Its bronze catwalk hosts the smirky statues of the seven Muses. They perhaps inspired the workhorse of the area, sculpted by Vincenzo Fioravante, the chef of the open-view venue. The floor-to-ceiling windows clinging to the windows to align gazes harmoniously towards the Gulf.
In the same settings as breakfast - where the menu ranges from mozzarella bites to warm baked goods and citrus jams - lunch often demands bread for dipping, shifting the focus to the authentic recipes of "mamma Matilde." Whether it's an intimate encounter with Roasted Octopus, provola cheese sauce, friarielli, and semi-dried cherry tomatoes, or a first approach to the succulent roasted amberjack bouillabaisse with a basil topping, the essence of the local aromas is captured by the chef in a contemporary alembic.
Embarking on long-distance journeys, the extensive drink list - not just a slim booklet but an entire tome waits to be explored on the rooftop. The keyword? James Bond, in an unusual supporting role, as the replicated cocktails count to 280 - each connected to frames, characters, or settings from his numerous films. Sitting there feels like being inside a scene, on the strategic couches of the Efebo Terrace, watched over by the impassive gaze of the eponymous sculpture (a reproduction of the Pompeian warrior from 20 BC). Bartender Antonio Boccia takes the lead, easing the audience's craving.
The superb Casino Royale comes into action, adapted with the addition of Blanc de Blancs Champagne to the solid gin-Maraschino combo. Another exotic option is Goldeneye, a nod to Ian Fleming's Jamaican retreat, enhancing rum with Aperol, pineapple juice, and passion fruit.
Even die-hard Campari fans enjoy a range of summer variations that power Fioravante's kitchen snacks, delivered straight from there. The only risk is indulging in tempting tempura shrimp and crispy eggplant Parmigiana, losing track of time until Vesuvius is draped in darkness. It's precisely then that the doors of the George, the hotel's nighttime star, swing open.
George's Restaurant
Domenico Candela appears to have refined a spontaneous aptitude for remixing popular foods with a modern twist, transforming the battleground between convention and exception into a gustatory passport. This talent, not taken for granted given the weight of the technical arsenal acquired beyond the Alps, now delivers regular culinary punches in the middle of dinner.
However, at its core lies a local matrix ready to define the dishes, rooted in the Campanian genetic code. With a decade in France beside masters like Alain Solivérès and Yannick Alléno - as well as experiences in Italy with Antonio Guida and Enrico Bartolini - the chef ties his creations in a dual geographical knot, focusing on two menus: Mediterranean Progress and Delicious Journey, plus a plant-based option.
The flavors are further intertwined through the expertise of maître Enrico Moschella, who extracts unusual gems from a "fortified" selection of 135 cellars (matching the hotel's street number) and 531 labels, symbolically reversing the figure.
In the bite's cadeaux, Neapolitan resourcefulness shines: there's the Margherita mini-pizza, a mist of dough cooked entirely with steam, topped with mozzarella cream and Parmigiano; the Luciana Octopus Takoyaki filled with semi-dried cherry tomatoes, black olives, and capers, with a shell simulating the Japanese octopus meatball and a core as enjoyable as a Sunday lunch; the “revitalizing” fake olive, a liquid bite that spreads the flavor of the typical Neapolitan salad, erasing the remnants of the previous finger foods. All served in colorful ceramics produced by the Nesis Cooperative, which helps young people from Nsida's juvenile prison enter the workforce.
The Tarbouriech Oyster challenges the taste buds, intentionally served warm and glazed with river tomato extract, fresh and fermented kiwi: the temperature trick that initiates a zero-sum salinity game, made gentle by the crunchy bite of green curry tempura.
Responding with kindness, the Foie Gras Scaloppa pairs with cherries from Vesuvius (natural, sweet-sour, and salted), plus a topping of fresh and caramelized Tonda Gentile hazelnuts. It's accompanied by Sakura no-ha leaf-cooked kome rice, creating an aromatic ambush in Eastern lands, and Cédric Le Bloas' premium cider, a Normandy cider made of 75% "tannic" apples and a small, balancing amount of sweet-tart apples.
The "first first course" brings a sense of suspense, preceded by a naturally red shrimp with bisque, tarragon oil, and fermented raspberry jus. Then it arrives, rice cooked in a dual ultra-concentrated lemon extraction with the leaves of the citrus itself. While acidity initially races through the starch circuit, it's tempered by a gentle nod: that of the crustacean, which never leaves the chef's sight, exposed in its pure form.
After the longevity test, the Spaghetti Pomod'oro still sets the trend after five years on the menu. With 7 flavors + 1, it imprints a clear and novel sensation on the palate. From San Marzano to Corbarino, the peak saturation scale is a Southern delight, with the fake Parmigiano, which is actually solidified basil oil. But the game goes further: guests are challenged to "find the intruder" in a sensory enigma, realizing that the eighth variety is only an appearance of a vegetable. Spoiler alert: you'll only discover it by tasting.
The "traveling pigeon" is the focus of the two services that conclude the savory section. Wrapped in a turban of Gragnano spaghetti, they sweep thighs and fifth quarters into their maritime vortex, triggered by the emulsion of Cetara anchovy garum and sevruga caviar: like salt water in the face before the calm. The landing marches to the smoky notes of smoked breast, presenting the meat prominently: chard, juniper, and fermented blackberry sauce soften the impact. A commitment of umami with an almost primordial force.
Smoked pigeon breast, coloured Swiss chard, juniper, blackberry sauce
The journey's memento is captured in the warm filter of Citrus, the essence of the fruit that more than any other fills the emotional void of Campanians abroad. The citrus is plucked, squeezed, worked, and elevated to its total idea, in 7 different varieties and overlapping textures. The white chocolate wafer is shattered, a finger lime madeleine is picked up, and one gets lost in the creamy fresh and candied lemon and in a refreshing red shiso and yuzu sorbet. A different finale, but rather, a bold dive into the vertigo of tartness and bitterness, with subtle sugars making an appearance. Naples sleeps, we don't: the taste of a trip to the coast lingers on our lips.
Address
Grand Hotel Parker's - Le Muse- George Restaurant
C.so Vittorio Emanuele 13580121 Napoli (Italy)
Restaurant Tel: +39 081 761 2474
