I have a best friend and she’s called Sissi. And she is the owner, along with her fun and exuberant Senegalese husband Zig, of the renowned Pasticceria Sissi of piazza Risorgimento. The breakfast must be done there now. With the unmissable and divine savory brioche filled with cooked prosciutto. On the fly, I order a coffee at the counter, and voila’! The energy I need to get through the rest of my day are stored up.
Sissi – and all of her goodie – who has been delighting palates and tummies of chic Milanese for twenty-five years, is a small and intimate little place. The tones are pink, with wood tables, bohemian in style, with a beautiful external pergola where you can recoup from the hot summer days. There are about ten tables outside and even less inside. We get really up close and personal here. Zig, from behind the counter, has known me for years and when he sees me calls me “mammina bambina” (baby mommy). I don’t think he knows that I’m going on forty! I will gladly take my dose of free self-esteem.
So we were saying, the brioche. That is what makes Sissi truly famous in this city, divine is an understatement. You can even have them filled on the spot at the counter! They are produced in the laboratory connected to the patisserie, that faces the sidewalk. For someone as curious as me it is awesome to see how much fun – but at the same how busy – the pastry chefs have in there. I imagine the conversations, but also the many little “stolen” pieces to taste test the end result. At least that’s what I would do, obviously!
The counter at the entrance is full of every bounty! Sweet and savory. Instantly mouthwatering. As soon as you enter… gather your patience, the wait is always long. The prices are a little high especially if you sit at the tables. But as you know “in Milan if you want to eat food that’s nice, you can’t get stingy on the price”. Not always, but sometimes that’s the way it is. And I do it, just so I can say: if Audrey Hepburn had breakfast at Tiffany’s, Federica Soleo has breakfast at Sissi’s. Hey! We all have the right to get fat in a romantic and fairytale sort of way, right?