Enzo Coccia: my Naples (part II)

see part one

When I go out with my family I try to select the right place in which I can taste something truly unique and of the highest quality. Here’s where:

Veritas
This is a creative establishment mixing countryside and sea, sweet and savoury, in a fusion of tradition and modernity, of technique and personality. There’s a comforting style. Flavours are clear and there are also some moments of high creativity thanks to chef Gianluca D’Agostino, sided in the dining room by star performer Pasquale Marzano, previously at Colonna. This is the right place where you can taste some dishes that have already become “classics” such as the Mozzarella millefoglie with torzelle cabbage and anchovies and tomato water and oil with hazelnuts or Saltimbocca (small pieces of bread made with pizza dough) with marinated mackerel, Mediterranean salad, caper mayonnaise and smoked ricotta.

La Fattoria del Campiglione
This is a “braceria” (char-grilling restaurant) that is very successful in creating a variation to Pozzuoli’s very strong tradition of marine cuisine. Among the most appreciated meats, you can find the 5 Italian breeds, namely Chianina, Romagnola, Podalica, Marchigiana, Maremmana. But there are excellent meats from abroad too, such as Kentucky Black Angus or Australian Wagyu. And then ostrich, kangaroo, reindeer, antelope, to be matched with a nice selection of wines.

Pastore (via Michelangelo da Caravaggio 62, +39.081.643958)
A high quality Neapolitan delicatessen in the heart of the Vomero neighbourhood. Ancient local flavours, with a clear attention to beef and veal of the highest quality. Great pasta, the famous Casa Barone pomodorini del piennolo (cherry tomatoes), Castelluccio lentils, Controne beans, Minghetti and Tammaro’s tuna from Favignana. And the best Italian wines. A paradise.

Motus
A café/pastry-shop overlooking the very central piazza Municipio. To me, Pasquale Marigliano, a renowned pastry-master in the area of Vesuvius, creates some big, sweet temptations: as few others, he knows how to mix high quality with accessible prices. The range goes from some classics of the Neapolitan tradition such as babà, sfogliatella, deliziosa and caprese to the very light cornetti (croissants) made with natural leavening and fresh aromatised butter. There’s an infinite number of chocolate artworks. Exceptional colombe and panettoni are prepared with great skill and competence.

Caffè Antico Mexico (via Scarlatti 69, +39.081.5565865)
Many years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Cavalier Passalacqua in this ancient “torrefazione” a coffee shop where coffee is roasted. During one morning he made me taste 7 coffees. Maybe too many... the blend I prefer is harem: as it is particularly sweet, I suggest you taste it without any sugar. It stands out thanks to its delicate taste: it’s a caress on the palate and its aroma leaves a long sensation of wellbeing.

Timpani e Tempura
This place unites tradition and vitality at the same time. With his passion for food and his love for culture, Antonio Tubelli serves what people used to eat in Naples over a century ago. Cherry tomatoes that are now almost impossible to find, excellent cheeses, tasty soups and spaghetti cacio e pepe that you’re meant to eat with your hands, just like in the 19th century, when pasta producers moved around town with their small barracks on wheels in order to sell their food to those passing by. This is fast food, so to speak, food you can eat while standing, but at the same time it is food you can enjoy with all its peaks of excellent and intense flavour.

2. the end