Restaurant in Veneto Serves “Fried Air”

At Feva restaurant in the town of Castelfranco Veneto in northern Italy, chef Nicola Dinato has come up with a dish called Aria Fritta, or "fried air" that resembles an airy cloud and the people all over the internet are gagging for it.  

The fried air dish is actually deep fried tapioca that is served on top of a fluffy bed of cotton candy along with a soy-based mayonnaise topped with black sesame and kombu. It’s served as a canapé as part of the restaurant’s 8-course degustation menu, titled Soul. 

Feva is run by owner-chef Nicola Dinato who trained at Ferran Adria’s El Bulli, Grant Achatz’s Alinea and Le Louis XV by Alain Ducasse in Montecarlo prior to his opening his restaurant, which has held one Michelin star since 2015. 

Located in a centuries-old ex-monastery with just 30 covers, Feva is known for its creative cooking that blends tradition with innovation, and is focused on being an accessible, affordable fine dining restaurant. Dinato is also part of the CuSvi association, a non-profit food research and development lab that studies the ingredients, techniques and cultures of the Italian cuisine.  

Hungry for more? Take a look at all the beautiful dishes of the Soul degustation menu at Feva, here.