What to know | A restaurant farewell in Italy: chef Pasti and his wife’s four-day journey
The key details: Hans and Rita, the chef couple of Taipei Italian restaurant Pasti, temporarily flew to Italy during the Lunar New Year due to the closure of their friend’s restaurant Lido 84 without warning, and embarked on a four-day taste tour connecting Milan, the Alps and Lake Garda.
Pasti, an Italian restaurant in Taipei where reservations are difficult to make, is jointly run by the chef couple Hans and Rita. The two had returned to Taiwan from a trip to Italy, and their luggage had not yet been completely packed. However, they received news that Lido 84, a restaurant they had known for many years and had been close friends for many years, had closed without warning. Without hesitation, the two decided to set off again during the Lunar New Year, embarking on a four-day pop-up trip to Italy, with destinations spanning Milan, the Alps and the shores of Lake Garda.
Why did this short trip start?
The direct reason for this trip was the news of Lido 84 going out of business. This restaurant in Salò on the shores of Lake Garda is helmed by chef Riccardo Camanini. It has been the starting point for Hans and Rita's thinking about "future Italian cuisine" for many years. After learning the news, the two decided to fly another flight in addition to their original itinerary to say goodbye to their twelve-year friendship in person, and brought a print symbolizing courage and faith as a gift.
The goat milk cheese pasta cooked in pig bladder subverts traditional imagination and redefines the boundaries of flavor. Image: Pasti
What to eat at the first stop in Milan?
The trip starts in Milan. After arriving in the early morning, the two went straight to the city center. Their first stop was Panzerotti Luini, a street food shop founded in 1888 hidden in an alley next to Milan Cathedral. It is famous for its half-moon-shaped fried pies, with fillings ranging from tomato mozzarella to fig chocolate. The couple then went to Marchesi 1824, a pastry shop founded in 1824, and ordered a panino filled with Stracchino cheese, 36-month Parmesan and prosciutto, paired with espresso, as the end of the Milan section.
Why is the whole town selling dumplings?
After leaving Milan, the two went to Valeggio sul Mincio, a small town not far from Lake Garda. It is known as the home of tortellini and almost every household sells handmade tortellini and pasta. Local legend has it that an army officer fell in love with a fairy by the Minqiao River but could not stay together. The silk scarf left by the fairy turned into dough, and the signature dish Nodo d'Amore (Love Knot tortellini) was born. The two visited Alla Borsa, a local restaurant recommended by the Lido 84 chef, and tasted gauze-thin dumpling wrappers with different fillings such as meat, spinach, and sweet pumpkin.
At Alla Borsa, the love knot dumplings are filled with almost translucent dough and are shared in a large plate, allowing the flavor and emotion to be shared at the same time. Image: PastiPasti / Italy｜Theme image Image: Pasti
What are the highlights in the Alps?
The next day, the couple headed north into the Alps and reached the high mountain areas of Bolzano and Bruneck. The two visited the three-star Michelin restaurant Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler. Chef Norbert Niederkofler follows the concept of "Cook the Mountain" and insists on using only Alpine products and using fire as the only cooking method. The beetroot gnocco has a calm appearance but a liquid filling. Next to the restaurant is Moessmer, a South Tyrol wool textile factory founded in 1894. It is the brand's only external store in Italy. From wool coats to sheep felt jackets, all of them retain the original warm and moist feel of the fabric. In the small town of Bruneck, the two also casually walked into the grocery store Horvat-Spezereien GmbH and selected various spices sold by weight.
The beetroot gnocco looks calm on the outside, but the filling is fluid inside, and the flavor instantly unfolds in the mouth. Image: PastiA series of image photos provided by the brand.
What did you see when you finally returned to Milan?
After saying goodbye to Lido 84, the two returned to Milan and tasted flavors translated from tortellini and apple cider vinegar at the ice cream shop Ciacco. Then they walked into Trattoria Milanese, founded in 1933, and ordered the classic Cotoletta alla Milanese and saffron risotto to end the four-day trip.
Back in Milan, from Ciacco’s flavor experiments to Trattoria Milanese’s classic tables, every bite flows back and forth between memory and creation. Image: PastiPasti / Italy｜Theme image Image: Pasti
What does this trip mean to Pasti?
For Hans and Rita, every trip to and from Italy is not just a simple trip, but a way to continuously calibrate their taste and table perception. From street food and traditional cuisine to alpine customs and contemporary creations on the dining table, these fragments gradually accumulated into the appearance of the ideal Italian restaurant in their minds, and continued to become the source of inspiration for the dining tables at Pasti in Taipei.
Panzerotti Luini has a long queue early in the morning. Image: Pasti
