At Mogano, South American and Asian-inspired dishes meet the fantastic brassic world of Ritual Lab: young chef Matteo Faenza has succeeded in the feat of creating a place of haute cuisine that can dialogue with the family brewery. An original sign a few kilometers from Rome.
The restaurant
When young chef Matteo Faenza decided to open his restaurant, Mogano, in 2021, he had no doubt: beer would be the centerpiece of the culinary offering. The reason? The family brewery - run by brothers Giovanni and Valerio - Ritual Lab, adjacent to the sign, a name certainly familiar to lovers of the brassic world where Matteo grew up and has contributed to the project since it opened in 2010. We are in Formello, in the metropolitan area of Rome, a place where the cook does not have the expectations of the big city and can afford to have fun and dare, combining proximity ingredients (including herbs and vegetables from his own garden) and a high technique acquired in his experiences in Spain and South America (Chile and Peru).
All this in an intimate setting, whose furnishings come from Metamorfosi, a former starred restaurant signed by Roy Caceres that closed its doors precisely in 2021. An opportunity that Matteo Faenza did not miss, including the restaurant's cellar and kitchen, the ideal incipit for the opening of Mogano. Despite the legacy of great labels and beautiful vintages from Metamorfosi's wine cellar, the chef did not let himself be distracted and perfected three tasting menus, Walk In, Contaminazione Laziale and Ispirazione - plus one to be fulfilled at the Chef's Table built together with the guest -, where beer is the protagonist both in the pairing and in the different courses.
A case in point is the bread basket, with the sourdough loaf that has among its components beer trebbie-that is, waste-which gives a pleasant aroma to the leavened product. “By putting beer at the center of the restaurant's culinary philosophy, I wanted to create something with an identity, connecting my work with my family and our brewery ,” Matteo Faenza says. Instead, there are dishes on the menu that tell of my experience abroad, and there is no shortage of Asian contamination, including soybeans and fermented products that I create in collaboration with Carlo Nesler, a guru on the subject of fermented legumes."
The dishes
The experience begins in the kitchen, an approach that brings the guest even closer to Matteo's philosophy. It is here that the amuse-bouche ritual is performed with a non-alcoholic Hop Infusion, aromatic on the nose and bitter in the mouth, accompanying an unusual Banana Cracker stuffed with Parmigiano Reggiano and some Smoked Pork Neck Meatballs. “The cracker is an homage to South America, while we smoke the pork ourselves with oak wood, “ explains the chef, who ends the tastings with a Tomato Stuffed Bloody Mary.
The breaking down of the “fourth wall” continues in the dining room with Matteo finishing at the table a Fiordilatte filato (Ammano farm) served with gnocchi of Japanese pumpkin fregola, chard leaf, kiwi vinegar gel and a dried plum reduction. “In this case we are talking about an iconic product of our table, in which, however, we are going to dig, so to speak, highlighting all its complexities and steps. For this reason we decided to do it in the room,", says the chef. An enveloping preparation that encapsulates the essence of Mogano. It continues with Mushrooms, spinach, almonds and pumpkin seeds. The cardoncello variety is grilled and laid on a mousse of spinach and potatoes, almond milk, hazelnut oil and toasted pumpkin seeds. The callosity of the mushroom is excellent and the sauce good; paired with Ritual Pils from the family brewery, a light lager that pleasantly accompanies the first two courses.
Homemade tortelli stuffed with English cheese (also from the Ammano company) in roasted onion broth tell of the chef's passion for Asia. Lots of umami notes and a pleasant persistence of the broth, to be enjoyed with the spicy notes of Ritual Lab's Blanche. We stay in Asia with the Italian-style Ramen: legume flour noodles, chicken broth, beef diaphragm, white turnip, green beans, baby corn and quail egg. A well-rounded mix of flavors for one of the best dishes of the tasting.
The second is a Braised Beef Brisket with Bock Beer, whose predominance of malt releases sweet hints when cooked, served alongside a pesto of sweet and sour shallots and a soy-legume sauce. Soft and succulent, the meat drizzled with beer confirms once again that haute cuisine and the brassic world can converse.
Dessert, on the other hand, is entirely dedicated to lemon with a Ganache and a liquid part composed of zest, pulp and juice of the fruit, finished off with white chocolate to dose the acidity of the dessert. The pairing? Raspberry beer, a niche product of the brewery that duly ends a worthy experience a few kilometers from Rome.
Contact
Mogano
Via del Praticello Alto, 7, 00060 Formello RM
T. 3886346424
