Bianca Maria Restaurant

Lunch or dinner in a hotel restaurant, why not? It is a trend that in Italy is (slowly) taking hold, while in the rest of the world it has already been considered usual for a while. In Paris, New York and London, meeting up at the bar or restaurant of a luxury hotel to enjoy a drink or a good dish has always been quite usual, while here it still seems too formal a situation. Yet, if the menu’s worth it, the aesthetics is neat and the atmosphere cool, eating at a hotel can become a truly enjoyable experience. This is the case of Bianca Maria Palace Hotel’s restaurant, a four-star hotel located a few steps from Piazza V Giornate, in a green and residential area among impressive buildings of the beginning of the century covered with ivy and magnolia trees, you’ll forget to be in the middle of Milan.

The Hotel’s housed by a Milanese building that witnessed ’40s architecture, leaving an unmistakable imprint in the beautiful (and much photographed) spiral staircase winding through all eight floors. An oasis of peace within walking distance from the popular Premuda Avenue, Bianca Maria Palace Restaurant and Lounge Bar’s interiors were designed carefully, including a cocktail bar and two delightful outdoor spaces that allow customers to dine surrounded by purple flowers and the delicate scent of jasmine.

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, and it is the perfect location for a business lunch in a quiet and private setting, a romantic dinner or an evening with friends. The menu is curated by chef Edoardo Lorenzetti: he was born in Romagna and worked in the kitchens of Cracco, Marchesi and Berton, carrying on an idea of clear and linear cuisine, where the key concept is that of identity. His dishes are recognizable and well described in the menu and, even when they indulge in some creative flick, they reflect aesthetics and taste of the classic recipe. Among this season’s signature dishes there is a Milanese version of Piedmont’s plin ravioli: strictly homemade, stuffed with bone hole and garnished with saffron sauce. But the menu also includes seafood dishes that wink at southern-Italy cuisine such as calamarata with clams, turnip tops and bergamot, and “important” and tasty main dishes, such as stuffed quail and rack of lamb.

Browsing through the menu a sincere and timeless gastronomic proposal emerges, careful in its work of contemporary revision of regional recipes and mindful of some international influence. There are also iconic Italian dishes such as spaghetti with tomato sauce and veal cutlet with fried potatoes and Worchester mayonnaise, which are performed with the same skill required by more complex preparations. Finally, the chef does not disdain some Asian contamination, evident in the use of ginger and Schichimi’s Lapsang Souchong Chinese black tea, a traditional blend of spices typical of Japanese cuisine. You must leave a space for dessert: utterly Italian, the “Lemon” evokes flavours and scents of the Riviera, declining the national citrus in various textures. It is a fresh and delicious dessert, which closes the gastronomic experience at Bianca Maria Restaurant in a pleasant and coherent way.