A disorienting, syncopated Lab: more land than sea, but with the same grit, organoleptic reflexivity and multitude of styles of all time, among whose insistent textures, the pause of minimalism finds its way in.
The chef, the restaurant, the team
Mauro Uliassi and his crew do not rest on their laurels, if anything, they stick them in some abstruse extractor to proceed to new alchemy. Their long-awaited Lab 2024 is not made for those looking for the "usual" thrills that have revolutionized seafood cuisine in recent years. If it is not a full stop, it is at least a semi-colon: something has changed and the evolution will continue in the coming years.
The work, which took place from Feb. 12 to March 26, was attended under Uliassi's direction by his usual accomplices: Mauro Paolini, Luciano Serritelli, Yuri Raggini, Peppino Merlino, Michele Rocchi (who will then leave again), Andrea Merloni, Alessandro Brigatti and Mattia Casabianca on desserts.
And if things bear an author's name, the creative process remained fully collective: "In fact, each was followed by a cook or two, but suggestions came from all sides." The resulting multitude of styles is a guarantee of fun, but a few patterns emerge by surprise.
The Lab 2024
"This Lab is different from the others, because we felt the desire to bring out all the cuisine of the Marche region, which goes beyond the sea. In fact, seafood restaurants prevailed in the 1950s, when people, thanks to the economic boom, began to be able to afford summer vacations. But before that, they didn't even exist. There were places where people also ate fish.
So after dissecting the marine universe in every possible way, having become aware of the richness of our origins, we thought of embracing the whole. There is the vegetable, but also the ditch of frogs and snails and two game dishes, which could have figured for sumptuousness and seduction in the game menu, which is suspended until fall. It is something that people do not expect, but without any forcing. I always say that, when you tell the truth, you are never wrong."
The transition was already visible in recent years, starting with pasta with tomato sauce and moving on to the growing vegetable swell. Now, in fact, the Lab contains everything, in thoughtful sequences, while two hits from last year, cuttlefish and sea urchin, have moved to the Classics menu, and kidney with shrimp and nutmeg, introduced secondarily, is the only survivor boarded.
The dishes
The first course surprises with the return of a minimalism, which we remembered in dazzling races of the past, such as "Prima secca", then set aside in favor of heady sensory ups and downs. It is a "sashimi tuna belly seasoned with Timiz pepper oil", with smoky hints and introduced by a teaspoon of whole mandarin, reduced in Rotovac. "And this is the correct tasting sequence, because the acidic, fragrant citrus ignites the taste buds, which are extinguished by the fish's fattiness, which conveys the smokiness. The rancidness, which we have been working on in recent years, also returns, but applied to the fish. That typical note of country houses, with the cured meats hanging from the cellar vaults." Three ingredients, author Mauro Paolini.
By the law of "enantiodromy", that is, of running in the opposite as a criteria for sequence, there follows a "fruit soup between ceviche and gazpacho", sour and fresh, signed by Peppino Merlino the Sicilian. "He told us how bread lemons, with a very thick rind, are eaten in homes. They smash them, squeeze them, let out the juice and fill the shell with olives and other ingredients, like a salad. We developed the same thought, bringing together with the olives different kinds of oil, herbs and strawberries, dried for a couple of hours at 50 °C and then frozen, so that the sugar part, which is anti-freezing, concentrates and the final texture is slightly chewy. On the whole, freshness and citrus predominate, inflected differently, in a functional way from the previous dish and the next, to maximize pleasantness and tamp down boredom."
"Snails" have long been part of the house play. This year, they are boiled and grilled over hornbeam coals; above all, placed in a composition intended to mimic the undergrowth through an extraction of moss at Rotovac, reminiscent of cellar and wet wood, scattered in drops here and there; plus lettuce stalks, barberry, chicory and fat begonia leaves. Authors Mauro Paolini and Yuri Raggini.
Still minimalism in the "Bell pepper" signed by Luciano Serritelli and Andrea Merloni, a spin-off of last year's second of lamb. "Because vanilla connects perfectly with the grill, as Piergiorgio Parini taught us." On the plate with almonds and almond praline for a coconut-like texture, complementing the softness of the vegetable; peperoni cruschi and cucunci for crunchy and crispy, respectively.
"Tempura frogs" also return, wrapped in light batter amid herbs among which spicy wasabi stands out. The sauce is classic: a shallot and leek reduction in white wine and brown stock, with raspberry vinegar and butter for whipping, lending roundness, with the complicity of bitter orange foam and tarragon oil.
Each Lab has a supererogatory dish, representing a form of gift giving. This year it is "Cod", whose sweetness is enhanced by the almost exotic scents of geranium oil. It is served raw, thick and juicy, with onion marinated in raspberry vinegar, frozen cherries and dried zucchini. Authors: Alessandro Brigatti and Peppino Merlino.
"The saltimbocca" designed by Yuri Raggini, represents the repurposing of a dish that originated in the Roman colony in Senigallia. Taking it as an example, grandmothers began cooking game meat, which abounded in homes, varying the "potacchio" with sage and ham. In this one, quail with oil and fried sage leaves, beurre blanc sauce, aromatic olives and roasted spring onion.
Metodo Massi tagliatelle is a sumptuous dish thanks to the partridge ragu complete with innards, sticky even in the mouth and feisty in the country way, with plenty of precious black truffle. Author: Mauro Paolini.
The predessert in yellow with apricot granita and saffron cream, is followed by the "ice cream and almond mousse white cake with Cantiano black cherries" and Casabianca signature caramelized cookie.
Contacts
Ristorante Uliassi
Banchina di Levante, 6, 60019 Senigallia AN
Phone: 071 65463
