A rebellious and creatively green chef, Alessio Sebastiani, leads a bistro focused on seafood and vegetables, with a cocktail bar that also serves dinner. A new meat-free gastronomic stage in Milan.
The chef
With a Puglian father and Venetian origins on his mother's side, Alessio Sebastiani's DNA, the chef of Cactus Kitchen & Bar in Milan, journeys all of Italy from South to North. He draws his culinary inspiration from green products that he watched grow in gardens and fruit and vegetable markets. A chef with a green spirit and a rebel attitude towards his culinary mentors, he traveled the world (Europe, England, the United States, and South America) before opening his bistro less than two years ago at Via Varese 4, in the heart of Brera and the Moscova area. "I'd like to remain a child because I have a constant need to nourish my childlike side – the side of discovery, curiosity, and the 'here and now' experience – because I believe that before being a chef, one must be a human being."
The name Cactus, a resilient plant that consumes minimal water and stores it within succulent tissues, is a significant choice. Known for its healing and regenerative properties, it becomes a symbol of a culinary style that aims to show guests how delightful a seasonal vegetable and a fresh fish dish can be.
The cuisine is eclectic, genuine, sensitive, and passionately aligned with the chef's philosophy. It revolves around an innovative and daring concept based on vegetables and fish, completely excluding meat. "The clear-cut decision not to serve meat forces us to entertain the customer in every possible way. With the opening of Cactus, we are aware that we are offering something new in an area dominated by mainstream trends. That's why the menu is now part of a magazine that can be read like a newspaper at the table. It's published periodically and includes everything we do and where we want to go."
The venue
Green, fresh, innovative, young – the team that follows him works sustainably (taking a two-day break each week) inside a stylish Nordic and international design venue, infused with the convivial warmth of Italian service. The bistro is street-accessible, with an outdoor area ideal for the warmer seasons, and a relaxing lounge flanking the entrance with floor-to-ceiling windows.
The bar welcomes patrons for aperitifs or tasting breakfasts and coffees – a space within a space that can be explored and customized (even in the menu) to the customer's liking. Mixology at the bar is enjoyable, offering tastings of small Champagne producers and oysters, cocktail pairings (with asparagus, cocoa rum and pear, or amarena cherry), alongside dishes extracted from the menu, such as the Genoese seafood stew (shrimp, cuttlefish, and bass with onion), beetroot hummus, or the bao bun with shredded monkfish.
A hydroponic greenhouse located in the center of the restaurant cultivates seeds and sprouts, used in the kitchen and presented on the table to be savored with the Oris Evo olive oil from Puglian Coratina olives, homemade bread, taralli, and grissini. Taste, variety, and flavor are solid foundations here, aiming to arouse interest in the origin of the food consumed, cultivation and breeding methods, and the storytelling of niche suppliers who share the same philosophy of freshness and seasonality. And perhaps to create amazement soon, with the announced year-end opening of a gastronomic theater or a stage kitchen, water and land, the next daring, multisensory, emotional, and provocative step by Sebastiani.
"Guides are not my obsession; I believe recommendations are a natural result of doing a really good job. I have three obsessions – my team, my customers, and my life – in that order or equally important. We're gradually moving toward breaking even in the business; it's not far off, and we've managed without significant losses. This is thanks, in part, to a non-Italian passionate investor who believed in the project and gave me full creative control. Milan suits me for work; it offers so much, but in the evening, I return to Brianza, where I can disconnect by opening a window and observing a sustainable way of life that the city is losing. My life goal is to open a mountain relais in the future, maybe."
Alessio shares his passion for aesthetics, sustainability, and conviviality with Irene Coppin, his right-hand and dining room manager. From breakfast to after-dinner service, she passionately narrates the tasting menus, the à la carte offerings, and the seasonal journey (like the one centered on tomatoes with Gazpacho, Panzanella, Parmigiana, Risotto, Mezzo Pacchero, Roasted Octopus, and Tomato Tart to finish). She also suggests dishes that guests might enjoy, featuring the week's special vegetables or fish chosen by the chef based on market availability.
The dishes
Several dishes are cornerstones of the Cactus Kitchen & Bar culinary offerings. These include the "Cactus Garden" with seasonal vegetables prepared in various styles and textures, or "Garda Eggs" – soft-boiled eggs with pea foam, agretti presented like a nest, cocoa grué, crispy crostini, mint oil, and black truffle.
The Parmigiana is a never-to-miss dish at the bistro, reimagined with modern techniques while retaining its authentic and memorable taste. The eggplants, however, are not fried but prepared in three different textures (barbecue, oven-roasted in cubes, and on a hot plate). They are paired with three types of tomatoes (Naples-style peeled, roasted confit, and raw coulis), buffalo mozzarella, stringy fiordilatte, and basil cream.
Among the first courses, the Red Prawn Ravioli with avocado, turmeric, and black garlic consistencies and the "Sorrento Lemon Organic Risotto" with bagna cauda made from sea urchin roe, Andria stracciatella cheese, and basil extraction are standout options. These dishes offer the opportunity to explore how each bite of the same item carries distinct nuances.
The seafood offerings vary based on the catch, such as the Mediterranean Octopus slow-cooked with feta aioli, tomato, and black olives, or the Amberjack Ceviche with nectarine peaches, edamame, cherries, and peach leche de tigre.
For the once who loves a more classic approach, there's a delicious reinterpretation of the Tuna Tartare with mustard, quail egg, Cantabrian anchovy, capers, and red onion, or the Salmon Tataki with raisins and pine nuts in miso and champagne sauce. Before diving into dessert, there's a plate of PDO cheeses that's worth trying at least once: Blue Buffalo, Robiola di Roccaverano, Alpine Bettelmatt cheese, chestnut leaf-aged Tuscan Pecorino Metello, and 30-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano from Red Cows.
The desserts are the work of the creative Eva Galimberti, a young Sicilian pastry chef who particularly loves fruit, chocolate, and sorbets. Unmissable are the summer sorbet balls (in salted pistachio, almond, lemon, and coffee flavors) served with mini savory brioches. The "wow" Tiramisù (made without a siphon but with hand-whipped cream), the Tarte Tatin based on shortcrust pastry and homemade ice cream, and the Millefeuille with seasonal fruit and pastry cream are also highlights.
Cactus unveils its pastry laboratory right on the street, where you can observe Eva as she layers the brioches in the display and meticulously prepares everything. No "fake cakes" here, as Alessio Sebastiani puts it; he always remains skeptical of claims that everything is handmade unless he sees firsthand what really happens in the kitchen.
Address
Cactus Kitchen & Bar
Via Varese, 4, 20121 Milano MI
Tel: 347 054 4982
