Arnolfo, a global destination (also) for vegetable-based cuisine

The restaurant, Arnolfo The Frame

The mirrored steel frame surrounding the façade of Arnolfo The Frame reflects the sky, giving a different image each time to the state-of-the-art crystal polyhedron, almost suspended on a hillock overlooking Colle Val d'Elsa. Opened in 2022, exactly forty years after the first inn opened in the historic center, the new home of Tuscany's longest-running two-Michelin-starred restaurant, designed by the Siena-based Milani studio, conveys all the passion of brothers Giovanni and Gaetano Trovato for architecture.

Inside, huge windows turn into a painting, framing the houses and towers of Colle Alta; on the opposite side, a border of highly valued Giallo Siena marble surrounds the majestic open kitchen, which during service becomes a sort of theatrical act for guests in the dining room to aim for. The style is marked by classicism at its most up-to-date declination, in a morphology that lets the outside environment inside, both visually and through the materials employed, all from the local area.

Marbles, travertines and siennas worked by local craftsmen adorn about a thousand square meters of impeccable refinement, a dining room where, among the white linen of the tablecloths on which stand centerpieces of blue hydrangeas, the maximum capacity of forty covers is counted. On the lower floor is a laboratory equipped with high-tech tools used to study and experiment with new preparations, and the wine cellar, which holds around six thousand bottles, cared for by Giovanni Trovato, from the beginning alongside his brother in the role of maître and sommelier.

Italian, Fine Dining

A role that today is also filled by Gaetano's daughter, Alice, who, after experiences in Australia and New Zealand, has returned to also take care of the training of the team, going beyond techniques and knowledge of ingredients, expanding it in terms of culture, gastronomic and more. The same culture that Gaetano acquired wholeheartedly in the early years of his career, from Angelo Paracucchi, Roger Vergé, and Gaston Lenôtre, and later as a trainer of so many young people who went on to achieve recognition and success in their personal projects.

From Matteo Lorenzini, to Nino Di Costanzo, Michelino Gioia, Eugenio Boer, Filippo Scapecchi, Alberto Sparacino, just to name a few, who always have words of great praise and affection for the one they call their mentor. And for this very reason, during the last presentation of the Michelin Guide, he was awarded with the Mentor Chef Award, for having succeeded in transmitting competence, passion and inspiration to younger generations, writing an important chapter in the history of Italian dining culture.

Permeated with elegance and sophistication are not only the Trovato brothers' manners, and sense of hospitality, but also their gestures, their interaction with guests and with the team, and the ideas generating their three menus too: seafood, meat and vegetable, which vary seasonally. The chemistry with the young Andrea Godi, Gaetano's Sous Chef for the past two years, is tangible, and takes the form of a cuisine that eschews self-interested extravagance, in favor of an all-encompassing fulfillment achieved by the graceful and refined upgrade of a classicism in deep connection with the local land.

The vegetable search, and the dishes

Arnolfo was one of the first to realize that plant-based ingredients can be prominent in haute cuisine, beginning as early as 2007 to offer a vegetarian menu, always fully in line with his identity, now called Cubismo Vegetale (Vegetable Cubism). A straightforward denotation of the blend of art, cuisine and architecture, which permeates Chef Trovato's creative thinking.

“In all these years, a part of the work I have never stopped doing is the selection of ingredients and taking care of relationships with suppliers,” says the chef, "I like to have a firsthand sense of the seasons' changing through products. I go grocery shopping a couple of times a week, meeting with farmers from the surrounding area, but I also rely on suppliers such as Koppert Cress, whose micro-vegetables can be crucial in the composition of flavors, and can contribute to the harmony of taste, textures, and aesthetics, enriching the dish with numerous sensory nuances. This is a card to play to expand the range of botanical elements. Most importantly, they are produced with a pragmatic approach to sustainability."

In 2018, with its Architetture Vegetali (Vegetable Architectures) menu, Arnolfo was ranked Best Vegetable Restaurant by Frank Fol's We're Smart® Green Guide, earning top marks and a motivation emphasizing the fruitful pursuit of combinations of extreme finesse, and aesthetic and color sensibility. To which is also added the ability to bring out the essence of the ingredient, allowing its distinctive aromatic characteristics to shine through, leaving it as natural as possible. As with Shiso Koppert Cress leaf, which becomes an amuse bouche. With its concentrated umami and mild bitterness, it is fried in tempura, wrapped in a very light batter, as per Asian tradition, with a veil of tomato powder.

Elevating Cress, Exploration of Flavor

An important aspect to draw attention to regarding cress - Chef Trovato points out - is the evolution they have undergone over the years, evolving from a simple decoration to a whole ingredient, an integral part, if not the leading characters of the dish as in this case. The mackerel acquires freshness with the cube of green apple, to which the flavor and sour detour is enhanced with Apple Blossom powder.

Stuffed with Laura Peri's duck is the small bao, topped with a wisp of bell pepper mustard. Over it, a leaf of Tahoon Cress, from the northern Himalayas, with its hint of underbrush turning to truffle. To add depth to the flavor of the potato mousse and Kaffir Lime leaves, the tuber is cooked in an infusion of cream; finally, a sprinkling of grated roe enlivens it with dots of savoriness.

The shrimp is a mouthful of various tones, with its mellifluous sweetness resting on Oyster Leaves, savory and iodized. Topped with an air of Morar Shoots, horseradish root sprouts, that pleasantly prickles the palate evoking mustard. “It's amazing the concentration of flavor in these little sprouts,” says Chef Gaetano, “it's interesting to play around, while building the dish, with the various densities and intensities of flavor.

The tangy freshness of the Sansho leaf butter, with which the risotto was whipped, also envelops the crispy sweetbread that accompanies it. A citrusy reminder, barely spicy, that tends toward “electric,” because of that slightly tingling sensation it delivers in the mouth, similar to that of Sechuan Button.

Recipe

Innovative Pairings, Artistry in Flavor and Texture

A parsley, Syrha leaf and dehydrated Citra breading covers the sea bass filet, coating it with a sour allure, which, along with shrimp and crispy zucchini flowers, accompanies the “pyramid” ravioli, filled with the same fish and a pasta dough with additions of Zorri Cress, Daikon Cress, Kyona Mustard Cress leaves to make it a bit pungent.

Arnolfo's signature dish, Laura Peri's Valdarno pigeon is lightly seared and then baked with Shiso leaves, Cardamom, Wheat Grass smoked with sweet and cinnamon nuances. The pairing is with crispy red turnip cooked in salt, roasted peach and its compote, which add aromatic sophistication and earthy, tart nuances.

A dainty character, striking an exciting hybrid of cheese and dessert, is the goat's milk bavarois, with pear ice cream, marinated pear, pear compote, the vegetable sweetness of Honny Cress and black sesame.

In the final petit fours, custard bonbons, strawberry and rhubarb canestrello biscuit, coconut flake and flower bite, pear madeleine.

Journalist: Bianca Tecchiati

Source: REPORTER GOURMET