The quality of the ingredients, their freshness and genuineness are the starting point of my cuisine since 1988 when I took over my father's restaurant and started this adventure with my wife Barbara, and that is now continuing also with my son Stefano.
The fish comes exclusively from the local fishermen: it is so fresh that I serve it raw, prepared in my own version, following recipes that I personally develop. The catch is twice a day, including holidays. The main local specialities are the Sanremo red prawns, the sea urchins, the holoturians, and all the shellfish that in our sea reaches an extra high and unique quality in terms of taste.
As the morphology of our region is not suitable for the extensive cattle-farming, I get the meat from my butcher who personally selects and slaughters few heads of cattle of the Piedmont breed that are raised with natural feed.
During the hunting season, we have wood pigeons, redwings, and woodcocks, caught in the passes of the Maritime Alps behind Sanremo.
From January to July, our carte features the sheep ricotta, that we get from the Sardinian shepherds settled in Taggia, between Sanremo and Imperia. Another dairy product that we serve during the cooler seasons is Montèbore, a typical Ligurian cheese that was disappearing and has been "rescued" by Vallenostra cooperative that produces it with excellent results.
For me, bread plays a very important role in the meal: I daily bake several different varieties of it along with the focaccia and the sardenaira (the Sanremo "pizza" with anchovies, olives, and tomato sauce) that I serve with the aperitif. I only use natural yeast and the selected flours of Mulino Marino from Cossano Belbo in Piedmont, that are stone milled and absolutely organic.
Vegetables are the most important product of the local cuisine: "trombette" courgettes -a variety of zucchini typical of the West Liguria-, artichokes, tomatoes, basil, purple asparagus... some of them come from my vegetable garden in Alta Val Nervia, in the Maritime Alps behind Sanremo, where I personally grow them, and some are supplied by small local producers who use only natural farming techniques.
My cuisine originates from these local products and proposes traditional dishes such as the cappon magro, a true masterpiece of the Italian cuisine, the brandacujun stockfish and many others that I like to call of "contemporary Ligurian cuisine" because they are original and unprecedented like the "Poached egg with sea urchins, served with Sanremo prawn and crispy leeks" that has become a classic of my restaurant, and the "Seared tuna with sweet and sour aubergine caponata" that now can be found in any Italian restaurant in different interpretations.
The wine selection is also very rigorous. Besides taking care of the dining-room and the patisserie that she produces, my wife Barbara is also in charge of the wine list, that features high quality labels with a wide selection of "natural wines". A wine suggestion is proposed for each dish, served by the glass to best combine wine and food, and widen the tasting experience.