Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo

I have too admit that the introduction to this trip to Padua didn’t bode well for an amazing meal.   We rocked up to a roadside hotel on the side of a semi industrial district of Padua, Sarmeola di Rubano, at about 11pm.  The hotel, only a few hundred meters from our final goal and objective of the trip, the acclaimed restaurant Le Calandre.  The hotel had closed and we had to call and wake up the staff to come and let us in.  There we were met with a hotel that felt like Miami Vice on a budget.  I eventually got to my room quietly hoping that the Le Calandre, a couple of hundred meters down the road, would be considerably better.

When I first saw the restaurant from the outside it didn’t look like we were up for much of an improvement.  The restaurant entrance and windows looked good, but the building looked more like a mix between a South of France building estate and an industrial warehouse.  However, as soon as we walked into the bistro that is in front of the restaurant itself, we realised we were somewhere special.  Le Calandre restaurant is run by the two brothers Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo.  Max (Massimiliano) is the chef and took the restaurant in 1992 and took it from one to two Michelin stars in 1996, making Max the youngest ever chef to get two Michelin stars at the age of 22.  At the age of 28 Max gained the restaurant its third Michelin star, making him the youngest ever chef to get that accolade.  The restaurant has maintained its three Michelin stars ever since and Chef Alajmo has been given the nickname “Il Mozart dei fornelli” (The Mozart of the stoves).

The restaurant is a family business run by the two brothers Max and Raf.  The adjoining bistro is run by their sister Laura.  The restaurants were previously run by their parents Erminio Alajmo and Rita Chimetto.  The family now run several of Italian and international restaurants as well as having a bakery section that supplies food to external shops, bistros, restaurants and cafes.  

So - when a chef like Max, receives me with open arms and insists that it is a true pleasure to be photographed by me, then it is a true sign of his humility and generosity.  We did not only get to eat the taster menu at Le Calandre, which was exceptional! - but we were also invited to dine in the Bistro and their new restaurant on St Mark’s Square.  For the latter we were transported on a wooden speedboat, not unlike what you see in a James Bond Movie.  

The restaurants run by the Alajmo family do not only provide excellent food, but also an experience that makes you smile and laugh, makes you excited and stimulate all your senses.  So - to call Max the Mozart of the stoves may be an understatement.  

Shot for Cook Magazine

Twin Gardens

Last time I went to Moscow I was about 16 years old. A very different place, but also a very different experience.  Back then I was young, on a trip with other international students and youngsters. This time I was on a trip for the Italian food magazine Cook, Corrier Della Sera to photograph the twin chefs behind the restaurant Twin Garden. Last time I probably ate crisps and cheap sandwiches, this time I ate exclusive Michelin star food and crabs with champagne.

The idea and process of traveling to Moscow is more intimidating and different than actually being there. Apart from a taxi service on the airport with drivers aggressively approaching you, trying to trick you into paying extortionate prices, (which can remind a little of traveling to a country that relies on tourism,) apart from the blatantly apparent class difference, and apart from the size of the buildings, Moscow actually reminded me a little of Norway.  It was a cold December week, but as there was no snow, it was dark most of the time.  People tend to wear similar outfits to what we wear in Norway - practical navy, grey and black winter clothes.  Although the architecture was grander than in Oslo - it had the same colouring and texture.  

We were well taken care of in Moscow by the team behind Twin Gardens. The Michelin star restaurant (19th best in the The World's 50 Best Restaurants awards) served up vegetarian taster menus (a first in Moscow?!) with wines made from Mushrooms, tomatoes, beetroot to mention a few. Although I have to admit that the wine is not the type I would enjoy on its own whilst watching a long film, the small tasters of it served with accompanying meals - worked perfectly.  Oh - and the tomatoes!  Grown locally on their farm Twin Farm - they were so tasty they even made the Italians give an impressive nod. 

Impressed by the restaurant in Moscow, we had a second day where they took us to their restaurant on the outskirts of the city. In the middle of a Luxury shopping mall - (and by luxury I meant LUXURY Russian style,) was the twin brothers Ivan and Sergey Berezutskiy’s second restaurant Crab and Wine.  This restaurant serves only crabs and wine/champagne as indicated in the name.  Here they had a large crab aquarium in the restaurant (as well as several filled aquariums with crabs in the basement).  The aquarium in the restaurant was probably around 2m tall and 8 meters wide. Here the guests could get a PS4 remote to control a claw, and pick their own crab using the remote (as if out of a James Bond villain scene in a James Bond film).  We were served 7 different types of crabs, on three tables pulled together to fit them all, and champagne to accompany.  An experience you’ll find hard to replicate.  

The chefs Ivan and Sergey were identical twins by looks, but were very different in behaviour. Sergey was the more introvert, softly spoken and didn’t speak much English, and Ivan was the opposite. (That Sergey also had the flue when we were there made it easier to know who was who when I spoke to them - not always easy when you don’t know them well).  They were extremely hospitable and introduced us to the modern and traditional Russia through food.  As many surprises as expectations were met.   

Shot for Cook