Barmare

While the seasons are engaged in their cyclical relay made up of passages of different temperatures and colors, Barmare is quiet on a block between the Milanese streets to welcome and fulfill the desires of anyone who wants to forget daily metropolitan life and go elsewhere for a while.

The Porta Romana restaurant takes its customers on a journey among waves of flavors from the sea, using as a driving force the meticulous work on the reinterpretation of traditional recipes, which never uproots the true essence, and the selection of raw materials. And if the mix of excellence and creativity is the chef’s winning card, sustainability is the fundamental pillar of the philosophy behind this place.

Barmare, not surprisingly, is a partner of Friend of the Sea, an NGO whose goal is the conservation and protection of marine habitats and the certification of products derived from both fishing and sustainable aquaculture, and has joined the FoS program to guarantee a chain of responsible suppliers. The fish, therefore, arrives at 12 Corso Lodi fresh every morning, with more than 90% coming from the Mediterranean Sea and consumed within a single day, confirming that the seafood here is of quality. The result is that the dishes are a forge of delicacies prepared using only short cooking times, Sicilian monocultivar oil, and passion.

The menu, which is well accompanied by a list of wines and bubbles, changes according to the availability of ingredients and the mood of the chef. Here, you can indulge in a few (but good) first courses. Run to taste the lobster plin, or rather, a few seconds from the gourmet touch, the fried dish options, which are always a temptation, or the specials that you just have to discover for yourself. But in this battalion of unique scents and goods, the raw dishes undoubtedly fall among the spearheads, both in more exotic and natural varieties.

The style of the restaurant captivates almost as much as the delicacies on the menu: the interior is simple, made up of a few seats, a large marble counter that dominates the room, an open kitchen where the staff juggles orders, and tables, chairs, and minimal lighting that hints at the vintage style, creating an intimate atmosphere that tastes like home.

A place that not only bears witness to good food, but that brings to mind holiday resorts, evoking that same pleasure of walking along the coast with feet sinking into the sand and dinners under starry, summer skies.

Photo credit © Carlotta Coppo