The idea of a restaurant that offers a menu that features dessert only is nothing new per sé; while there may already be several such restaurants around the world, no one has had the courage to open one yet in Italy! Until now, that is thanks to Federico Rottigni, who recently opened The Dessert Bar in Milan.
Rottigni is a pastry chef, born in 1990, who has returned to his hometown to start a new adventure — after years of experience alongside star chefs like Ernst Knam, Antonino Cannavacciuolo and Carlo Cracco — not to mention a job experience in Norway.
Good news for those of us who always save room for dessert and see it as the highlight of any night out: Dessert Bar, open since January, is located on Via Crocefisso in Milan — and it is designed especially so that the diner may "live a gastronomic experience.” This is clear as soon as you take a seat inside the venue.
Don’t expect a conventional dinner; Federico Rottigni describes the experience as a “dessert dining show,” imagined as a spectacle of theatre to entertain and excite. There are only 11 seats centred around a long marble countertop where the pastry chef – with a bartender at his side – designs each dish in front of his guests (and audience).
With the arrival of each dish, even the environment changes in a play of light, sound, and aroma — all meticulously timed by the pastry chef. In fact, Federico considers 95% of pleasure to occur in the brain — and it is only by stimulating all the senses, and by having them interact with one another, that he can help his diners reach that sensation.
Maybe you’re thinking: “Sure, but isn’t that just too much sugar?” Luckily for you, Rottigni informs us that the sugar content is controlled at Dessert Bar — just like with alcohol in cocktails. Each dessert has been made with a little less sugar, playing mainly on texture, temperature, and acidity in the universe of sweets. Plus the whole menu is gluten-free. Good to know!