At Pashà in Conversano, traditions of the past meet renewed elegance that follows the rhythm of nature, solidifying the success of a family capable of reaching the heights of fine dining.
The story
More than just a restaurant, Pashà is the alter ego of Antonello Magistà. Indeed, that has always been his nickname: elegant, composed in his movements, and reassuring in his look. A touch of austerity distinguishes him in his attire and in welcoming guests to his establishment, Pashà in Conversano, in the heart of Bari hinterland.
It all began with a space where one could have tea, sip fine wine, or dine, in what had perhaps been conceived with a somewhat cosmopolitan perspective for a southern town in the '90s. So, in 2000, the first daring ideas emerged, leading him to envision an elegant osteria capable of bringing his mother Maria Cicorella's traditional dishes to the table.
For 18 years, mother and son worked together, with Maria handling the kitchen and Antonello managing the front of the house. Maria brought with her the ancient family techniques, those tied to the land and cooking over an open flame. Her past had made her an unwittingly knowledgeable chef, but it was her studies alongside Chef Claudio Sadler that refined her skills. In 2013, the first Michelin star arrived, solidifying a team effort that found its strength in the mother-son relationship, a delicate balance where the bond of two nurtured the entire team. Three years later, the restaurant moved to the impressive seventeenth-century structure of the Seminario Vescovile: an elegant outdoor terrace surrounds the interior dining room, which welcomes guests with a bar area.
The living stone then leads to the main dining room adorned with a few tables, contemporary furnishings, red armchairs, and Italian-made ceramics with an oriental influence, but of Italian craftsmanship. The ambiance is essential, almost contemplative, and the lights create a suggestive play of shadows along the ancient arches.
The restaurant
In 2018, Antonio Zaccardi, born in 1978, entered the scene. The chef, originally from Castiglione Messer Marino, brought his experience from working alongside renowned chefs like Carlo Cracco and Enrico Crippa to Conversano. With great ambition and natural talent, rooted in his Abruzzo origins, Chef Zaccardi joined Maria in the kitchen for a few months, and shortly after, she bid farewell to Pashà's kitchen. The kitchen continued to give voice, through Chef Zaccardi's hands, to an essential Puglia that played with renewed elegance, using a few humble ingredients symbolizing a region in rebirth.
The dishes follow a slow, almost meditative pace, leading to desserts created by Pastry Chef Angelica Giannuzzi, born in 1982, hailing from nearby Castellana Grotte and married to Antonio Zaccardi. Her extraordinary skill in using plant-based ingredients in pastry earned her the title of Pastry Chef of the Year for the 2023 edition of the Gambero Rosso Guide.
At Pashà, the kitchen and pastry work in harmony, driven by the highest ethical principles of sustainability, culinary circularity, and waste reduction. Here, tradition becomes a source of inspiration to go beyond simple good food, and perhaps that's what earned it a rightful place on the list of the 50 Best Italian Restaurants in 2023.
The dining room is understated, discreet, yet at the same time, approachable and with a family touch, thanks to the young team led by floor manager Rossana Minunni and sommelier Juan Pablo Nieva, a kind of wine orator, capable of enchanting with tales of terroirs from distant lands.
The dishes
The dinner begins with a welcome that subtly hints at the chef's passions: his oriental influence, acquired after years with Crippa and travels in Japan, and the promotion of the region and its products. Thus, the indulgent flavors of the South seamlessly blend with oriental ingredients, such as the squid cracker with wasabi and nori seaweed or the rice ravioli with purple cabbage and miso mayonnaise. Italianity then explodes with the tartlet with the taste of onion calzone and the iconic aperitif - a Crodino popsicle with peanuts and capers. A menu in motion follows, mirroring the slow rhythm of nature and its fruits, born from small local producers.
It starts with a symbolic dish, Puglia. In black and white, it encapsulates the summer in the South: memories of Bari focaccia and sun-soaked slow-cooked tomato sauce flood the senses. Tomatoes, a faint hint of garlic, oregano, and basil are enveloped by a smoky, almost toasted note, like that of Altamura bread bruschetta.
Next is the Tomato Soup. Still in Puglia, where the best tomatoes are found in the summer. An elegant dish is born, celebrating natural flavors and textures. Tomato soup, blanched and blended with cucumber and ginger, embraces sweet and sour pearl onions, marinated strawberries, peaches, and cherry tomatoes. A fresh and almost balsamic note is added by acidic herbs, spices, and flowers. The result is a tribute to "cialledda," a humble dish that regains its splendor here.
Conversano is not far from the sea, quite the opposite, and the idea of sitting by the cliffs to enjoy sea urchins becomes increasingly vivid with sea urchins, almonds, and coffee. The dish is presented inside a black ceramic sea urchin that pricks the hands of those intent on savoring it. Inside, at the bottom, the bitterness of coffee blends with the natural sweetness of the almond ice cream, balancing the pronounced flavor of the sea urchin.
Next up is green beans, ponzu sauce, and garlic mayonnaise. The local green beans are at their sweetest in the summer, the yellow ones specifically, to mitigate the acidity found in the seasonings. It's a balanced dish that doesn't seek to amaze but convinces with its simplicity. Then comes the return of the tomato, this time with curiosity upon seeing camone tomato presented in thin discs, topped with incredibly fresh clams and a daring tomato sauce. A dish that embodies a cuisine expressed through a few ingredients, far from long preservation methods.
It's time for barbecue baby cuttlefish with almonds and parsley. Seared at the base and left almost raw on the surface, it evokes the deep-rooted traditions of the Bari coast and their raw seafood, in this case, cuttlefish tagliatelle. Here, the baby cuttlefish, presented almost in purity, takes center stage; enhanced by almond milk, grapeseed oil, and dashi. Finally, a parsley cream.
The first of the pasta courses is the parmigiana spaghetti. The real novelty in Pashà's menu, paying homage to Sicily and its "pasta alla norma." Thus, a red spaghetti with tomato-based dough envelops fried eggplant cream and salty sheep's ricotta. A dish that, in its roundness, pays tribute to the South with its rich yet never sharp flavors.
Not the same can be said for the second pasta course, acidic rice with pecorino and fig oil. It almost resembles an open fig, with its colors clearly reminiscent. Here, acidity and boldness in taste are immediate. In tasting, tomato seeds add dimension to the dish, which follows the principle of "no waste" and circular cooking, intrigued by the reuse of scraps.
We move on to mushroom scaloppine a true signature of the '25 Menu, created to celebrate Pashà's 25th anniversary. The goal for the chef was to bring back the cult dishes of Italy, from the '70s to today. Thus, a seared veal fillet, cooked in the salamander, with flavored butter, lemon, a cream of champignon and porcini mushrooms, herbs, and hazelnuts.
Angelica Iannuzzi's touch is felt with the pre-dessert, Pannacotta with pickled vegetables. The visceral connection to the land brings vegetables into the desserts, resulting in an absolute explosion of flavors where fresh hints accompany the crunch of seasonal vegetables, thinly sliced and laid on a reduction of cream with passion fruit.
Finally, apricot and rosemary. A chia seed and caramel pastry encloses cream, vanilla ice cream, and local apricots at its core. Rosemary acts as a thread connecting the kitchen in a mutual effort to present not-so-sweet desserts, where sugar yields to the natural sweetness of the raw materials used. The perfect conclusion for an establishment that has made territoriality its strength and has drawn the concept of cuisine in motion from nature.
Address
Ristorante Pashà
via Morgantini 2, 70014 Conversano BA
Tel: +39 080 495 1079
