Egg tortelli with Neapolitan ragù, ossobuco-flavored cannelloni, and even fried pizza on the same tasting menu: Ciro Sieno combines regional traditions in elegant dishes full of character.
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Photo by Stefano Caffarri
The restaurant
Enigma is definitely an original place: located inside the Mercure Reggio Emilia Centro Astoria hotel, it has its own separate entrance. And this is where the first pleasant surprise awaits, as you come across two splendid tapestries by Balla and Severini, leading figures of Futurism, masterpieces belonging to the Lombardini family, local entrepreneurs who own the hotel. Ciro Sieno, Enigma's chef, has added his own touch, with Batman and Joker by a contemporary Neapolitan artist and some sketches by a fashion designer from the 1950s.
In the dining rooms, there is another small spectacle, with a collection of 750 bottles of some of the world's most important whiskeys: “There used to be twice as many: none of them have ever been opened, they've been there for more than 35 years, 40 years, I think.” The setting is therefore decidedly original and puts you at ease, in an atmosphere of modern warmth. The name was chosen by Ciro's wife, Giulia Mazza, who is also the restaurant manager: “Since I've traveled around Italy a bit and have been making dishes that blend different gastronomic cultures, particularly those of Emilia and Campania, for years, she thought of using this name for a cuisine that sometimes becomes a puzzle to solve.”
The chef
Sieno, as often happens, imagined his future in the kitchen from an early age: “When I was seven or eight, I used to help my mom make gnocchi on Sundays, then there was the tradition of frying pizzas, which I really enjoyed; from there I decided to go to hotel school, even though my mom wanted me to do something completely different.” Ciro started out in small restaurants near his home, then spent a few seasons on the Romagna coast. Beyond his inspiration, the master Gualtiero Marchesi, who was always in the background of his thoughts, his most significant experiences were those with chef Incerti Vezzani at Ca' Matilde in Quattro Castella, in the Reggio Emilia area, as well as courses and evenings with both Vincenzo Guarino and Terry Giacomello; he also took a bread-making course with master baker Oscar Pagani from Brescia.
What characterizes Sieno as a man and as a chef is an immoderate love for haute cuisine and for an intimate setting: "Before coming here, I was in a situation where I told my wife that I had to either change or change my life; I would do what I wanted to do, otherwise it no longer made sense, because I couldn't cook for 150 people. I had been in a Michelin-starred kitchen and I realized that this could be my world.“ The opportunity offered by the hotel therefore became a catalyst: ”The owners immediately believed in my idea and allowed me to buy the equipment I needed to get started and do what I wanted right away." For him, cooking is not only an immoderate passion, but also a real refuge: “Either you love it, or you can't do this job. When I enter the kitchen, I forget my problems, I immerse myself, I'm there, in my world, I'm happy. And I just want to keep learning and growing.”
The dishes
So his dishes resemble him: rich, complex, tasty. Perhaps the most symbolic is the 630 km from Reggio Emilia to Naples, egg tortelli with Neapolitan ragù, Parmigiano fondue and basil sauce, a manifesto that brings together emblematic elements of southern cuisine with fresh pasta and cheese that represent the roots of Emilia-Romagna. “It's a dish I will never change.”
Among the appetizers, the “Camouflage” of octopus and potatoes is another delicious idea, complemented by soy sauce and the spicy and aromatic touch of 'nduja. There is also plenty of flavor in Erbapizza, a creation like fried pizza stuffed with erbazzone, foam, and crumble of Parmigiano Reggiano and puffed lard.
The ‘Artichoke, cheese, pepper, and scallop’ dish is also impressive in its richness: the vegetable, served alla giudia, is enriched with Pecorino cheese, pepper, scallop sashimi, and lime for a refreshing touch.
Dal Vesuvio al Duomo, one of the first, takes us from Naples to Milan with its excellent cannelloni stuffed with Milanese ossobuco ragù, gremolada, Provola cheese, and veal jus. Don't miss the delicious ‘my version of the killer’: spaghetti, datterino tomatoes, 'nduja, garlic, parsley, basil, and raw red shrimp from Mazara del Vallo.
Moving on to the main courses, we really enjoyed the ‘Cuttlefish and beans’, with cuttlefish cooked at a low temperature and then seared in a pan, served with cannellini bean sauce, confit cherry tomatoes, parsley oil, and cuttlefish ink. The Branzino ‘alla mugnaia’ was also very good, steamed, seared on the grill and served with garlic and potato foam, mugnaia sauce, spinach and hazelnuts. We finished on a sweet note with the Cheesecake: white chocolate and saffron Bavarian cream.
ENIGMA RESTAURANT
Reggio Nell’Emilia (RE)
t.0522.206614
