Romito has designed an exclusive new cuisine concept for the Bulgari Hotels & Resorts. It is in line with Reale's philosophy, which has made the restaurant famous all over the world. The concept integrates simplicity, an organic combination of ingredients, and an endless pursuit of original and quintessential flavors with Romito's inspirations and ideas. The goal is to establish an original contemporary Italian menu that expresses the culture, elegance and vitality of 'Made in Italy' to the maximum.  

 

"True flavor is an absolute value, and as such, it can speak to everyone. The challenge is to distill it, export it and ensure that the world learns to recognize it," said Chef Romito. 

 

Located in Casadonna, Reale restaurant was transformed from an old monastery. Chef Romito's cooking laboratory is also there. During the two years he worked in the restaurant, he applied the research methods he learned from other restaurants to his entrepreneurial system. Chef Romito will bring these methods to the dining rooms of the new Bulgari hotels in Beijing, Dubai and Shanghai. 

 

"I imagined a cuisine which is neither that of Reale nor that of Spazio. We worked to create a spectacular cuisine that represents pure Italian classics," Chef Romito said. "We will not only focus on ingredients and cooking skills but also on concepts that present our traditional food and detailed service. We aim to carry on and stick to the concepts and update them from time to time." 

 

Chef Romito will train the chefs who will join him in the Bulgari Hotels & Resorts of Beijing, Dubai and Shanghai. The training will focus on the core standards and concepts of Reale restaurant, which pay attention to the delicacy and style of food presentation, cooking skills and the pursuit of robust flavors, balance and pleasure. 

 

The chef team will make a brand new menu with elaborate protocols so that the new menu can be fully understood and mastered by each kitchen crew member. With a few exceptions, the menus will be the same in all Bulgari hotels in China.

 

The new menu will use refined Italian raw materials. An ultra-pure broth, an original antipasto that encapsulates a grand tour of all the regions of Italy, accompanied by recodified versions of tagliatelle with ragù, veal Milanese, broken pasta with octopus and potato, preserved tuna, and tiramisù are some of the splendid dishes one can expect to see on the menu. Bread is always the protagonist at the center of the table, a key element of Chef Romito's cuisine philosophy and the mainstay of the Italian food culture. 

 

Every aspect of the service has been taken into consideration. For example, the tableside service of grating parmigiano is a timeless ritual of great Sunday lunches at the restaurant, according to Chef Romito. The little details of the service can also move guests, he said.

 

"The only way for people to know our cuisine is to eat the food we cook. From our food, they can acquire their own understanding of Italian taste even though they are far away from the country," Chef Romito said. 

 

"Food is naturally a total experience that extends well beyond what's on the plate. It's a question of atmosphere, attention, refinement and above all well-being. Whoever goes to a Bulgari hotel and dines at a Ristorante Niko Romito, whether in China or Dubai or anywhere else in the world, will leave with the feeling of having visited our country, even if they've never set foot there. This is my dream." 

 

Silvio Ursini, the executive vice president of Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, said they have been closely following Chef Romito's project. "We feel that his interpretation of Italian cuisine and training of new talents are a perfect fit and will allow us to guarantee a unique experience in our new hotels," he said.