Spaghetti with grilled clams, lobster maritozzi, sea urchin crème brûlée: the restaurant you wouldn't expect to find serving seafood in Milan.
Portraits by Riccardo Cabella; dishes and locations by Jacopo Salvi
The story
We spend a lot of time planning, deciding what to do, what to eat, what to wear, what to have others do. We grab a folder, adjust the microphone attached to our shirt, and go on air in three, two, one... as the hosts of our own lives. Who doesn't like to host, or at least think they do? Maybe that's why it bothers us so much when reality imposes itself? And it often does, without asking permission. The evening we had dinner at Food Writers, Claudio Rovai was not there. He was forced to stay home for family reasons. It sounds like a school excuse, but on the contrary, it was reality that imposed itself, and the chef, father of two daughters, made his choice. It wasn't a bad thing, you know. Our attention, as well as what we tasted, was focused on Kaos, the restaurant's maître, a young man of rare discretion and skill. The way he moves, the way he intervenes, the way he interacts with the tables, everything indicates how much he embodies the antithesis of his nickname. His name is Kaoshar and he is a food writer.
We hadn't planned it either. Our interview with Stefano Scaroni, CEO of Deles Group and financial “head chef” of Exit, the kiosk in Piazza Erculea that became a successful restaurant project, never saw the light of day. It could never be published. Disagreements between the partners and the subsequent closure sealed its fate, denying it any kind of public exposure. It will remain a power and not an act, like an interview. However, we cannot remain silent about how Claudio Rovai was involved in a gastronomic adventure that marked Milan's food and drink scene, where only Milan's business scene existed. Matias Perdomo—who has a nose for talent—didn't take long to realize that Claudio's gentle spirit also hid a fearless soul and a great stride as a chef. Only seven months in the kitchens of Contraste and then the proposal. There is a kiosk in a square in the center of Milan, among the buildings of business people, where work-life balance will never be accepted, which should be transformed into a social network of flesh, bones, and wine, a gathering place for drunken humanity. Are you in charge of the kitchen?
That's how it was, and Exit became a model restaurant. We don't know what went wrong, and frankly, we don't really care. The fact is that it forged tough people, chefs and waiters who couldn't remain under the ashes of something that no longer exists. Claudio and Kaos met there and now write together. Onofrio Viscione is also from the Exit school. You can meet him among the tables at Frangente, after having been “smoked” for some time by the aura of Errico Recanati. Let's say it right away, Claudio writes well even when he writes for his editor. A year before Exit closed, Claudio had already left. He had found a partner and was about to start something of his own. The project faded away before it even began. Something unexpected opened up a path that had not been planned. Oyster Oasis is a company that produces and promotes the culture of oysters and the excellence of the sea. The decision to open a restaurant to promote its products may have come about precisely because of Claudio's dedication and attention to raw materials. Food Writers is the result of entrepreneurs who dreamed of producing oysters in Italy and a chef marked by his Australian experience.
The restaurant
“Without a partner who helps and supports you, it's difficult to find the space. I have a huge passion for cooking, and I've been making sacrifices all my life. Your ideas can also arise from a shared path, a path that sometimes takes a different turn than you thought. If you accept that, you'll still find your expression.” Claudio was “forced” to only grill fish. So what? A sacrifice that is accepted is a lighter sacrifice, a generative effort. The opposite of surrender, which is the most painful consequence of when there is only a demand. Even producing oysters in Italy seemed like a gamble to many.
Perhaps thinking of a mere copy of the French or Northern varieties. Those from San Michele in Puglia and Sacca di Scardovari in Veneto are now local excellences, with their own personality and taste characteristics. In addition to his partner, Claudio can also count on a family of loyal pirates who pour their talent into the same ship. “Growth is never personal; without a team, you won't get very far. At Exit, we were like a family within the restaurant. There were 4-5 of us in 3 square meters, so we had to get along. I immediately got along very well with Kaos. He is devoted to the world of wine, composed, not stiff, and very professional. I really wanted him as the link between the kitchen and the dining room.”
The dishes
Food Writers' cuisine is a work of the sea. Raw introductions, tides playing shell instruments, darting creatures venturing onto dry land, tamed sea monsters. Was Milan lacking a seafood restaurant like this? We prefer to surf the question by asking another. Are you ready to experience a new scent of the sea? The one that a wind of embers releases into a minimalist atmosphere without drowning out the whispers of couples and the laughter of the Gascon people? "When we started, I had a lot of trouble with the embers. They didn't perform as I wanted them to, and the dishes didn't match my ideas. Time must be an evolution, not just the passing of time. Perfection is the basis of development. I really enjoy searching for the product and pushing it to its limits.
Like the sea, time continues to batter your ideas. If you just try to breathe, you risk drowning or merely attempting to set a useless record for breath-holding. If, on the other hand, you understand that it is smoothing out the rough edges, you let the water scratch your ego, then you start swimming, feeling new oxygen. Even through the smoke from the embers, which can only be smelt in the dishes and not in the restaurant. Our dinner begins with the sea as nature intended, stripped bare in its fleshiness. Raw, authentic, ready to be chewed. The oysters enchant like modern calypsos: some release savory songs, others express themselves in sweet melodies. La Perla del Delta is iodized and crunchy, with a sweet vegetal finish. The Royale David Hervé is more compact, with hints of hazelnut. The moral of the story is that the myth of the North is no longer alone, there is the lineage of the Mediterranean oyster that from young Promethea has become a deity. Adorable, indeed.
Then comes the dish that leaps off the cliff. The one that encapsulates the sea in ten centimeters. Sea urchin crème brûlée is marine condensation, yet deeply comforting. Claudio extracts the pulp from the sea urchins—sourced from Iceland—and places it in a pan. Finely chopped garlic forms the base, cooked over low heat so as not to overwhelm it. When the protein base of the pulp begins to coagulate, he adds a little fresh cream and cooks it for another ten minutes. He removes it from the heat and puts it in the Thermomix, adding the egg yolks. He emulsifies it to obtain a very smooth cream, which he pours into Silpat molds. He then bakes it in the oven at 85 degrees for about 30 minutes, then chills it. When ready to serve, allow to thaw, add a little brown sugar and caramelize to create the effect of crème brûlée. Finish the dish with Maldon salt and an orange ponzu sauce.
A commissioned dish is the subject of our next venture. The establishment sells oysters, seafood, and fish. They ask you to highlight clams. What do you do? Claudio didn't imagine much. He took one of the most popular and comforting recipes in Italy and studied how to make it not seem forced by cooking it on the grill. Grilled spaghetti with clams is what we all know, but with a twist. The clams are cleaned and soaked as everyone does. Inside perforated metal baskets, they are opened over a very hot bed of coals. This happens very quickly due to the heat stress. Meanwhile, they are smoked. The second shock comes when they are placed in a light but very cold broth, so as to stop the cooking process and keep all the flavors inside. The next day, the clams are shelled one by one and the broth is filtered. Spaghetti Benedetto Cavalieri, which is very starchy, is stirred into the broth, to which the shelled clams are then added.
Turbot and cardoon is another well-executed idea, in which the embers mathematically promote one of the most mistreated fish in our seas. A dish that disappears quickly, sailing between bitter and sweet, savory and smoky. We have already praised Kaos's work behind the scenes, and we would like to bring it up again to offer our sincere thanks: they let us taste Privilege by Mario Perseval, daughter of the famous Gerard, who had his first harvest in 2020 on 1.5 hectares in Chamery. A full-bodied champagne in which notes of grapefruit and small red fruits do not hide a tense and very clean finish.
We don't know what food writers have planned to write about in the near future. All we can say is that, as things stand, we'll be lining up for signed copies of their stories about the sea.
Contacts
Food Writers
Via Domenico Millelire, 14, 20147 Milano MI
Phone: 389 538 0120
