At the Brizza pop-up culinary event at La Samanna were (from left) Public Relations Manager Laura Pellegrino Pratella, Executive Sous-Chef Andrea Graffagnino, Executive Chef Agostino D’Angelo, Executive Pastry Chef Giusto Candino and Belmond Area-E-Commerce Executive Javier Padilla Cera. (Robert Luckock photo)
MARIGOT--Mediterranean culinary savoir-faire came to the exclusive Belmond hotel properties for ten days in early February with the pop-up restaurant Brizza featuring Sicilian seafood delicacies created by Chef Agostino D’Angelo, from Villa Sant’Andrea, a Belmond Hotel in Taormina Mare, Italy.
It was fitting for La Samanna and Cap Juluca to be hosting this one-of-a kind event that paid homage to Sicily and the treasures of the sea. For La Samanna especially, this was one of the planned events in 2023 to celebrate the hotel’s 50th anniversary. The project was conceived two months ago and judged feasible as both hotels have Italian restaurants.
La Samanna’s La Spiaggia restaurant offered the menu for three nights, February 8-10. The gastronomic pop-up was presented by Executive Chefs Agostino D’Angelo in collaboration with La Samanna’s Bernard Prim. Chef Agostino also brought with him his Sous-Chef Andrea Graffagnino and Pastry Chef Giusto Candino.
Restaurant diners were invited to entertain their taste buds with a 10-course tasting menu featuring four signature canapes, starter, first course, main course, pre-dessert, dessert, and finally “Sweet Memories of Brizza”, a signature selection of salty sweets in one bite.
On hand to give guidance on the menu and ingredient details were Public Relations Assistant from Villa Sant’Andrea for the Sicily area Laura Pellegrino Pratella and Area E-Commerce Executive from Cap Juluca Javier Padilla Cera.
“Villa Sant’Andrea’s pop-up restaurant opened in July last year, a barefoot restaurant with just six tables on the beach in Taormina,” Laura explained. “The idea was to create a connection between the food, the place and the sea because Chef Agostino is very specialised in seafood.
“The menu has a mixture of innovation and tradition which speaks to the passion of Agostino himself. He is also the Executive Chef of the hotel, so he runs the other restaurant and the food and beverage. He is one of the pillars of the hotel and a proud custodian of his cuisine and loves to travel to show it to the world.”
The bite-sized canapes included Tra La Sabbia (seared scampi on plankton, creamed potato and toasted breadcrumbs), A Mezz’acqua (roasted musky octopus with grilled peppers and cream), Sulle Rocce (sea urchins on crispy lemon bread), and Della Tradizione (sardine meatballs with sultans, pine nuts, stewed with tomatoes).
Next came a warm seafood salad on octopus carpaccio with shellfish, crustaceans and lemon seaweeds followed by the first course: ravioli with ricotta and smoked grilled eggplants, lobster sauce, Noto almonds and seaweed olive oil.
Some courses were accompanied with an appropriate pairing of wine while the restaurant manager gave a clear explanation of each dish as it arrived, often adding interesting details.
“Ravioli is not typical only to Sicily but to all of Italy. They can be filled with cheese and also vegetables. The almonds come from the city of Noto and they are well known for their crunchiness,” Laura said.
The Tuna “ventresca” main course wrapped in a leek leaf, scented “Nubia” red garlic, “Ispica” sesame seeds and caramelised red onion reduction was a sheer delight with the tuna’s soft texture. The chef had brought the sesame seeds with him in his luggage. As emphasised by Laura, this dish exemplified the combination of innovation and tradition.
The pre-dessert Samphire Granita, similar to an icy sorbet, was exquisite, followed by Verdello Lemon, a creamy sorbet with Italian meringue and crunchy white chocolate crowned with a map of Sicily, also made from meringue.
“Sweet memories of Brizza”, the final dessert, combined elements of sweetness and salt. All in all, a tasting menu that was innovative, unusual and delicious with a perfect balance of flavours.
Tuna Ventresca (Photo by Chris Coe)
Warm seafood salad (Photo by Chris Coe)
