Dina's intimate world: a microcosm of shared stories where each dish is a reflection; a tale that dances between prose, poetry and technique.
Cover chef photo: @chiaracadedduphoto
Photos in the article by Savour.duo and Lido Vannucchi
Crossing the threshold of Dina means stripping off everything outside and standing naked. Along with your coat, in the first “decompression” room, as chef Alberto Gipponi calls it, you strip away from the outside world and enter a dimension in which the past or the future does not matter, only what you are living in the present moment, as the neon sign in the center of the room “Until then if not before” by artist Jonathan Monk reminds us. One remains with one's name and story to tell, to be woven into the vibrant atmosphere of this space. The beating heart of this place is the chef, who does not just cook, but draws ideas, thoughts and emotions. There is no hurry, no room for improvisation: everything is thought out, curated, reflected. And when you are seated at the table, you are no longer just spectators, but protagonists of a symphony of flavors, colors, smells and vibrations that caress the senses.
A restaurant beyond the restaurant
Dina is not just a tribute to her grandmother's name, it is an embrace that extends to anyone who walks through her door. This restaurant in Gussago, Franciacorta, has the ability to transform every meal into an experience that goes beyond the kitchen: it is a journey that comes from the fusion of roots, memory, research and an ongoing desire to explore. It is a home that changes with each service, living through the emotions and vibrations of each and every guest.
Each table has a story to tell and each dish has a profound yet sensual philosophy, capable of evoking the most intimate emotions and making us reflect on the very meaning of food. As Alberto Gipponi himself tells us, “each dish is an invitation to connect with our inner self, to explore the memory of flavors, but also to indulge in the pleasure of each taste, with the awareness that it is a reflection, a continuous discovery.” Each ingredient becomes a secret message, to be deciphered, to be listened to, to be experienced and then taken with you.
Cooking between prose, poetry and technique
Dina's gastronomic proposal is an invitation to let go, to discover new sensations and to remember lost ones. Here, food is not just nourishment, but art, emotion, reflection. Anyone who has been there at least once will leave taking with them a piece of this story that remains etched in the palate, in the mind, but above all in long-term memory.
Char and rose
The char, a freshwater fish with delicate flesh, is the first to surprise. Its skin, treated with a marinade of salt and sugar, becomes almost creamy upon biting. Each bite is a subtle play between the delicacy of the fish and the intensity of the rose, evoked by a hydrolate that binds the flavors with a depth that goes beyond the surface. The disappearing skin leaves an ethereal remembrance, making its way into memory. It is a dish that requires attention, patience, listening. To understand it, one must get in tune with its lightness, with its play of subtle contrasts.
Fennel and garlic
The next dish, which plays with viscous textures and a mix of bold and fresh flavors, is a reflection on contrast. The fermentation of fennel lends a lively acidity that is balanced by the enveloping sweetness of garlic, whose essential oil is a deep reminder of nature. The resulting sensation is a tactile and gustatory experience, an embrace between the land and the sea that is felt in every fiber of the body.
Rice, oyster and bay leaf
The next of the mouth-watering dishes is the Risone, oyster and bay leaf that culminates with a shot of oil, a final gesture that unites all the ingredients.
Fassona liver, Bordeaux sauce, apple, turmeric, walnuts and onion
Next comes the Fassona liver, a dish that plays on intensity. Its soft meat melds with the sweetness of the apple and the savoriness of the Bordeaux sauce, while the turmeric adds a touch of mystery, a golden note that frames the entire dish. The walnuts and onion provide a counterpoint, creating a contrast between the sweetness of the fruit and the richness of the meat.
Cannelloni and white truffle
A dish that defies convention is Cannellone and white truffle. A roll of pasta that, seemingly empty, hides within it a magic all to be discovered within. The pasta, pink underneath and boiled on top, plays with its textures, creating a contrast that fascinates and amazes. The presence of white truffle ice cream enriches the dish with an intense and deep creaminess. Here technique meets emotion, resulting in a preparation that is both a tribute to tradition and an act of pure experimentation.
Gnocchi, horseradish and herbs
With gnocchi, Gipponi takes us into almost scientific territory. A dish that explores the memory of the bite through a process that plays on the tension between the protein in the flour and the water. The texture of the gnocchi becomes a sensory act, urging the jaw and palate with a new force, a tactile experience that changes the way we think about pasta. Horseradish and herbs enhance the dish, creating a contrast that recalls the world of nature and its most authentic flavors.
Meatballs and paccheri
With the dish Meatballs and Paccheri, simplicity meets irony. A comfort-food that, in the inversion of textures, becomes a challenge for the senses. The big-bite pasta, which becomes the heart of the dish, embraces the soft meatball like a caress. Here, gluttony is never trivial, but turns into a reflection on the simplicity and intensity hidden in the most everyday gestures.
Zucchini alla Nerano
A journey into the flavors of traditional cuisine, but with a whole new vision. Zucchina alla Nerano, which is traditionally prepared with provolone del Monaco cheese, is reinvented with Grana Padano cheese, creating a bite-like sensation from cooked pasta filata. Reduced tonic and curry add a sonorous twist that enriches the dish with a mentholated acidity, creating a contrast that stimulates the mind and body. It is a dish that plays with memory, with the ingredient seasoning itself: the centerpiece of the Reasoning Menu that the chef proposes and focuses on sauces and the meeting of reason, emotion and sound.
Spaghettino with frozen endive, honey vinegar, elderflower and Tellicherry pepper
The dish that most embodies the idea of an experience beyond taste is the Spaghettino with frozen endive, which actually begins when the dish ends. The pepper warms the palate, but the contrast with the frozen endive defies all expectations, creating an effervescence in the body that is felt far beyond taste. Honey and honey vinegar meld with elderberry, creating a texture of flavors that evolve as the taste takes shape in the mouth.
Red Turnip and Stracciatella Salted Butter Soufflé
The Red Turnip Soufflé is a meeting of visual beauty and mouthwatering goodness. The savory note of the salted butter stracciatella combines with the sweetness of the beet, creating a dish that is both a dessert and not. Its soft texture and intense color invite us to reflect on the beauty of contrasts and the infinite possibilities that food can offer us.
Pasta, salt, almonds and lemon
The final dish, Pasta, salt, almonds and lemon, is an act of purity. Flour, worked with almond milk, creates a paste that penetrates the palate with surprising precision. The taste is vertical, intense, sharp, yet enveloping. Each bite is an encounter with the purity of the ingredients, a tribute to the flavor itself, without masks, without transformations. Just the honest taste of each ingredient, hitting the palate with disarming directness.
AN EXPERIENCE THAT CHANGES YOU
Dina is an evolving place that lives and breathes through the people who pass through it. As Gipponi says, “Dina has a lot of souls, everyone finds there what comes to each one.” Few tables, but each table is a microcosm, a story intertwined with the story of those who sit there.
And so, thanks to its intimate and personal formula, Dina has become a place where the energies change depending on who enters, where each customer is not just a name but a part of this space that, like a living organism, grows and transforms with each encounter; a space where the love of food, art, and life merges with the emotion of each shared moment. A restaurant that knows how to welcome anyone who wants to stop and have a unique experience, where it is not just the food you eat that counts, but the story that is told and built together.
Address
Ristorante Dina
Address: Via Santa Croce 1, 25064 - Gussago (Brescia)
Phone: +39 030 2523051
Email: info@dinaristorante.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dina_ristorante/
