Al'Less: gastronomy as the center of life
We talked to one of the most prominent designers, Luisa Vanzo, who introduced us to one of the city's novelties: “Milan's restaurant scene, which is generally cold and insensitive, is being renewed "he tells us." Now proposals are appearing that combine good food with a close and welcoming aesthetic , places where you can work on your Mac and have a drink throughout the day.”
Thanks to Vanzo's indications, we have seen first-hand how in recent years it has increased both among the public and among restaurateurs. interest in organic products . One restaurant after another is opening in the city which, in addition to offering an organic menu, display an interior design inspired by the concept of rural and “retro”, recovering old furniture and objects, crochet rugs, enameled tableware , which are reminiscent of the time when dealing with the client was very close and their name and favorite dish were remembered.
This spirit also includes the recipes of grandmothers, which in Italy are part of its national identity. . All families have dishes that include unique ingredients or a special way of cooking them, information that is passed from parents to children as one of the most valuable inheritances. It can be a simple detail: the touch of liquor in a sweet or a trick when making the pasta by hand.
Restaurants like Al'Less or Aromando Bistrot recover this idea and offer a contemporary reading of the mid-20th century premises located in a “piccolo paesino”, a small Italian village where the essences of good eating and good living are kept.
In Al'Less gastronomy is the center of life . It includes a travel agency, Trippa & Trip, which inseparably unites the act of traveling with that of eating well. It also has an area for exhibitions, a small library of gastronomy books and magazines and a charming garden with aromatic herbs that season most of their dishes, which they call “Il giardino degli odori”.
The bohemian interior of the Aromando Bistrot
The space has a glazed gallery on a beautiful checkerboard floor, and the entrance of daylight illuminates the objects to be discovered in each corner, such as first-generation radios and television sets or sewing or typing machines . On the menu, the exquisite “bollito” stands out, a dish with various types of meat cooked with vegetables and aromatic herbs that cannot be missing.
Eating like at home is also the motto of Cristina Aromando and Savio Bina, the owners of ** Aromando Bistrot **, open for a month, and to convey that feeling they have created a family, hospitable and delicate atmosphere . The decoration is made up of objects and furniture from their ancestors or that they have been gathering over time: old open refrigerators that have been converted into shelves for books, velvet sofas with macramé cushions, old music devices, baskets and boxes of seasonal fruit. … The flowers, always fresh, complete a relaxing, intimate atmosphere: that of a house to which you would like to be invited . It is a must to try their homemade cakes and of course their selection of cheese.
retro spirit
The Aromando Bistrot bar