Dabass

The Porta Romana area keeps surprising us and one of its last surprises is Dabass Milano, the concept of which was an idea of two entrepreneurs (two of them came from the vegetarian restaurant MAM Milano Amore Mio, in the same neighborhood) that transformed an old stationery shop in a welcoming restaurant with an artistic and intimate soul.

The restaurant is located in Casa Sartorio, a 19th-century Art Nouveau building designed by architect Provasi, reminiscent of the Flatiron Building, the famous New York’s palace. The bistrot, which has forty seats, features a retro style with contemporary details, such as the beautiful and essential design lamps, open kitchen and installations with a romantic flavor like the violin on the wall made of simple black string .

The Dabass counter deserves a note on its own as it is the restaurant’s element that attracts the most: we are talking about a real design masterpiece called Optical Crash, created by Graziano Locatelli, which works mainly with on creative tiles. This one in particular features an optical illusion that, thanks to a game of colors and perspectives, makes the counter looks like it’s been cracked by a crash. Another note on the mise-en-place style, with glasses and plates that differ from place to place.

But let’s talk about the menu. It changes almost daily to ensure top freshness and quality: delight and originality blend together with two proposals that you can also combine. You can choose from a tasting menu of four courses, that includes the egg poché with sauce, the Milanese risotto with crunchy pork cheek or the pumpkin and potatoes  cream with mussels and pecorino; and the five “off-the-paper” dishes of both meat and fish, such as stockfish Vicenza-style with polenta or the entraña with potatoes and grilled spinaches. One (or two for the most daring) of the tasting menu dishes can easily become the starter that precedes one of the “off-the-paper” portions.

The name of the venue means “down here” in the dialect of Milan but as you will understand Dabass has all the numbers to aim very high.

Photo credit © Federica Santeusanio