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We last saw him in Rome, at Ristorante 1978, where during his five years in the kitchen, he won over the public and critics, but also a place in the Michelin Guide, for his dishes and gastronomic provocations like ‘Lasagne in a tube’ and ‘Pizza in a bag’.
Now, after an official announcement last spring, we find him in Milan, in his new restaurant, Vibe. Born in Sant'Arcangelo di Romagna in 1997, Valerio Braschi is a young talent of Italian cuisine, with a hugely bright future ahead of him. Many remember him as the winner of the sixth edition of MasterChef Italia. Now he is ready to conquer the difficult Milanese market, 'the one of consecration,' as he describes it. A majority partner in this new professional venture of Braschi's is the entrepreneur Edoardo Maggiori (owner of the well-known Milanese restaurant Filetteria Italiana), who has given the chef carte blanche to create the menu.
We visited Valerio Braschi's new restaurant in Milan: here’s how it went.
The location
"Why Vibe? The name above the door refers to the atmosphere,” Braschi says, “and here you can breathe a youthful, fresh energy”. It’s very true. Just a few steps from the Sant'Agostino metro station, and not far from Milan's Navigli, this is a location that sits at the heart of Milan’s nightlife. Right from the start, guests are greeted with a relaxed and upbeat atmosphere, far from the stiff ambiance of a fine-dining restaurant with a classic imprint. A colourful mural in the courtyard welcomes guests, then they are welcomed inside by a succession of details that communicate (and reflect) the youthful spirit of the chef and his staff, all under 30.
Here you find the open kitchen, a window onto Braschi's world that you encounter as soon as you cross the threshold. You are then greeted by two small rooms set for 22 diners, with cyclamen-coloured walls. It’s a space characterised by the bright hues of modern art paintings, partly created by Riccardo Poli (a tattoo artist and painter, who also created the exterior graffiti) and partly painted by Giulia Lai, the chef's partner. Lai has created a canvas depicting a large metaphysical eye, containing drawings of the stylised silhouettes of the reptiles that Braschi keeps at home, a great passion of his. In a display case, there is a ring. “That's my personal ring, inside there are fragments of moon and Martian stones,” he explains.
The mood
Faced with such a creative and lively location, there is a classic mise-en-place, to welcome guests amidst white tablecloths, and impeccable room management. Details that make all the difference (and that reveal much of the chef’s gastronomic maturity and approach): at different times, a water list, an oil list and a coffee list are served, with a selection of products that the chef has developed with his brother, an oil sommelier and a cultivation and gardening enthusiast, just like himself.
"Vibe also means vibration and that is what I want to convey with my dishes: no matter how good, a dish tends to be forgotten. Here, on the other hand, I want to create dishes that you can't find elsewhere and that will stick in your mind: my idea is to shape a stable memory,” he says. “A month later, those who came here must remember what they ate, that's why we push so hard. With the Milanese public, I realised that I could take more risks, so I concentrated on new dishes, which I introduced alongside mainstays such as the pre-dessert or cappelletti, signature dishes that have been with me for a long time,” he explains.
Thus, amidst culinary (and other) provocations and flavours that capture the essence of the ingredients, Braschi brings his youth, his desire for freedom and the exuberance that accompanies it to the table, but also to the dining room, and even to the toilet. “It's true that we aim for fine dining, but it's also true that the restaurant has to reflect my age, so for example, we decouple sex and make it fun," he says, referring to the fake condoms in the bathroom, available to guests – “which are actually passion fruit jellies, absolutely edible”.
The menu
Amuse bouche
A playful provocation 'à la Braschi' opens the menu: the journey begins with a series of amuse bouche, served together with a plastic gun containing a liquid Italian bruschetta, a cold broth flavoured with tomato, basil, smoked bread and garlic. The guest is invited to literally 'shoot oneself in the mouth' with each mouthful, in order to cleanse the palate and prepare it for the next taste. Then there is a broth with chanterelles, miso, soy and a mock apple with truffled chicken liver, a mock macaron made with Italian meringue and filled with cheese and fresh leek, and a melon jelly with Greek feta, salmon roe and cucumber-flavoured fennel.
Sheep broth accompanied by a sheep tartare
We continue with a sheep broth, from the Lazio region, prepared with bones, star anise and soy sauce, accompanied by a sheep tartare, with crispy catalogna (chicory) dressed with honey and mustard. It’s a dish that reduces the taste of the meat to its essence, thanks to an elixir without a vegetable base, which is extremely pleasant, going so far as to dampen – if not annihilate – the aggressiveness of the gamey sheep meat. All thanks to skillful play with spices and the right ingredients.
Chickpea curry
Then comes the ‘Chickpea curry’, a vegetarian dish from the new menu, which pampers the palate with a smooth texture and an intuitive twist: the combination of chickpeas and spicy curry paste (homemade with turmeric, cumin, paprika) with banana cooked in the oven and pan-fried in coconut milk (a nod to Thai cuisine). On top, a constellation of crispy chickpeas and aromatic sour cream with a fresh touch of dill and lime.
Cappelletti di lasagna della Bruna
Then comes the ‘Cappelletti di lasagne della Bruna’, the chef's signature dish, or rather “Dish of the heart”, which pays homage to two figures in his family: grandmother Bruna, who always prepared lasagne, and grandmother Elsa, to whom he dedicates the ragout, prepared according to her recipe. The cappelletti are homemade and have a mouth-watering lasagne-like filling (béchamel sauce, meat sauce with tomato paste, sausage and lard), and are laid on top of pecorino cream. It's the most emotional dish served. Next, another dish from the new autumn menu: ‘Modenese pork belly’ marinated in soy sauce, cooked at a low temperature and glazed in soy, dill, star anise and teriyaki sauce. On top, sesame and spring onion lend freshness to the soft, buttery meat.
Modenese pork belly
Then comes ‘L'Errore perfetto’, the pre-dessert, and another Braschi classic: melted Sancho pepper ice cream, with bergamot gel and trout roe, accompanied with warm sake. Dessert, finally, is soleil, a sweet and spicy toffee-flavoured blast of sunshine, apricot mousse, vanilla biscuit, apricot and jalapeno sorbet, presented by sous chef and pastry chef Francesco Di Lallo (at Braschi's side for five years): a tribute to friendship, he explains.
Soleil
The meal ends on a high note with the amusing ‘Petite patisserie’, which includes the blue pill, a fake Viagra made of white chocolate, branded Vibe, which contains a very small percentage of maca, “A Peruvian plant that is considered a natural Viagra because of its aphrodisiac effect,” Braschi explains.
The experience is provocative and provokes thought, but not at the expense of taste and flavour, which are well balanced. A mature culinary journey, which is also playful and fun, a considered ode to light-heartedness and new fine dining, capable of convincing even the most cynical guest of the talent of those with a background in reality TV. Because life is outside the small screen, and Braschi seems to have understood this very well.
All images by Mariarosaria Bruno
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