Nicola Annunziata focuses his style and hits the mark: his is not the usual North-South contamination cuisine that one would expect in a large hotel, but a proposal with personality, swimming free-style across the boot.
The restaurant and the chef
There is no shortage of beauty at the Portici di Bologna, a place where grannies used to pay their bills, restored to its former glory of the Café Chantant Eden Kursaal and enhanced all the way to the belly of the ancient icehouse with its mysterious tunnels. A restaurant that deserves great cuisine and where in fact there has always been great food. However, the turnover of chefs, mostly very young and launched into other adventures, has prevented the success from settling, going beyond the single-star bar, which is still the only one in town.
As of December 2022, it was the turn of Nicola Annunziata, a chef originally from Sarno and formerly starred in Calabria, who had his most formative experience with Anthony Genovese. Settling in a cumbersome territory, where it is difficult to give up the fetishes of tradition, at first he seemed to conform to the Cannavacciuolo style of north-south fusion, not without some admittedly tasty drift toward pizza flavor. But it was a hasty impression. Rehearsed again two years later, his cuisine shows signs of a most felicitous and uncompromising maturation, capable of weaving a profound dialogue between gastronomic styles and models.
“A lot has changed since my arrival, even on a structural level; we have become more familiar with it,” he confirms. "Personally, I feel more mature, even on a management basis, confronting a big city, and I know how far I can push myself. In the past I may have proposed dishes out of my comfort zone, now I'm looking for more balance with what we like. I think this is the path that best represents me from the beginning." In homage to the history of the places, the menus are named after works represented there: Francesco Cangiullo's L'Ora precisa e Luce or Carlo Bruno's La Spudorata, priced between 110 euros and 180 euros. At the wines there is currently Andrea Zambelli, who officiated at La Porta and is the author of a pairing that is never predictable.
The Dishes
We start with the canapé in the shape of Java pepper piglet, stuffed with Mortadella mousse and squacquerone cheese, excellent with the glass of bubbly and providential for enhancing the offcuts of the establishment's outlets, in a zero-waste approach destined to recur in the appetizers. They are the crispy tartlet with tomato chutney, marinated amberjack, jelly and tomato powder, the potato mousse with black truffle and Adriatic mussels, the cocoa bean and black garlic sandwich with old Romagnola cow crudo and apricot ketchup, the eel bottone stuffed pasta in chicken broth and kombu seaweed, the trout with salted bergamot gel and parsley oil.
The “dry” bread with oil and lemon butter consists of very fine sesame breadsticks, rosemary crackers, and Sichuan and Java pepper taralli. Then the loaves of bread made from Molino Marino flours, known in Bonci's internship, milled on demand and shipped the same day. First enkir, then kamut, again from sourdough; in the course of the meal also a spelt and barley focaccia burned on the griddle. On each menu is a multi-course dish, with the same ingredient in different interpretations. After tomato, it's the turn of the mushroom: then seared cardoncello with porcini beurre blanc, basil oil and pickles from the scraps; simple and irresistible panko cutlet with parsley mayonnaise; and finally, in Asian style, dried porcini mushroom broth and lapsang souchong tea, a riot of smoky umami over the duxelles of the scraps. Where the theme of circularity and gustatory agility on freshness are confirmed.
The purple shrimp in seawater osmosis with a veil of lard is excellent where, however, the protagonist is Mantuan squash: a slice in chile vinaigrette osmosis for a carp-like feel; the flesh in hazelnut oil cream. Plus salted lemon from the Coast for a refreshing boost; ginger, shallot and katsuobushi vinaigrette gel; contrasting Macadamia nuts on the textures; roasted pumpkin seeds and red curry.
More comforting are the genovese tortelli on 36-month Parmigiano mousse with onion powder, licorice root, pureed shrimp and again onion in raspberry vinegar, an old dish on which the evolution of style is measured (but in the past there have also been genovese tortellini in burnt onion broth). The tagliolini risotto in a base of garlic, oil and chili dashi, served with lemon in pickle to dampen it, cream of Neapolitan-style friarielli, smoked and roasted caviar, win an applause. Where the gassiness of the vegetable marries the smoke, especially the fruition without a fork, only with knife and spoon, favors a different, almost sfogliatella-like texture. North/south, wealth and poverty beyond pizza-tasting clichés.
Syncretistic codfish, inspired by the Campania Christmas recipe, returns to the table. Prepared in oliocottura, it is served on a mousse of cutouts with three-tomato glaze, capers, olives, mountain oregano powder and pickled caper leaves for “balsacetic,” as the chef says. Again comforting is the braised pork cheek with Jerusalem artichoke cream, 'nduja kimchi and hay broth; as a side dish a gyoza of cutouts and kimchi, which draws a parallel at the antipodes with the minestra maritata.
The pastry is signed by Vincenzo Digifico, a young professional trained in long experiences abroad, especially Spain, already at home with Petrosino and Renzi. And the technique is not lacking: see the Spanish-style Brie and Balsamic Vinegar, with a mock meringue of Brie water, pure cream cheese and spherified caviar of Balsamic Vinegar for the classic combination. After the oblate and lactose handkerchief with lemon ice cream and candied lemon powder, for an ironic twist on ice cream parlor rituals, comes Castagna, persimmon and truffle, a hyper-seasonal dessert on the concept of caldarrosta, composed of praline cream, smoked chestnuts, marron glacé, laminated truffle and in caviar, vanilla persimmon marinated in skins with yuzu syrup and chestnut cremino.
Contact
I Portici
via Indipendenza 69 40121 Bologna, Emilia-Romagna
Phone: 051 421 8562
