Baldassarre's Taormina

In little over two years he has opened Unico in Milan (Italy’s highest restaurant, on the 20th floor of the WJC), he has received his first Michelin star, he has published a book (the title is “041”, that is to say his age) and now has opened Opson, a new restaurant in Taormina on Hotel Imperiale’s beautiful terrace. In other words, Fabio Baldassarre is running at full speed.

Taormina is the gem of Sicilian tourism: it offers a good selection of starred restaurants but perhaps one of this kind was still missing. The hotel managed by Giacomo Battafarano has a beautiful location: we’re on a panoramic terrace on the 7th floor, with a view that amplifies the effects of the already excellent cuisine created by this chef originally from Abruzzo. The risk with restaurants that are so panoramic is that if they are handed to the wrong person, they will plunk even harder. But with Baldassarre there’s no such risk.

The establishment is full of charm, the atmosphere is laid off and the lounge music contributes to this feeling. The menu, which is obviously quite different from the one in Milan and has a strong Sicilian character, has nonetheless the same identity in the dishes and the same style. The Sicilian character is never exasperated or forced, in fact it is always very discreet and natural. It is present, you can feel it, but it’s not disturbing. It’s as though a good photographer had shot a beautiful picture with a filter that emphasized certain colours without neglecting the others.

You can start with the Anchovies with salmoriglio sauce, Cacio pepe meatballs or Stuffed courgette flowers with Greek-style rice with a puree of summer courgettes. Or else you can do as we did, choosing a spectacular true Nebrodi black pig prosciutto and a traditional Aubergine caponata. After that, you have two options: grilled dishes or others coming from the kitchen. So here came the Spaghettoni Vicidomini with Sciacca anchovies and Sicilian pecorino or the Paccheri with fish amatriciana.

From the grill, instead, we caught some Roasted octopus with Salina capers and mint with a puree of chickpeas and grass peas (a Paradisiac flavour) the Grilled squid with tomato sauce and potato puree that slowly melted in your mouth. A final mention goes to the cakes: we had no choice but to finish with a super pair, that is to say Sicilian cannolo followed by Orange sorbetto with a cloud of cotton candy.

Opson by Fabio Baldassarre
Hotel Imperiale
Via Circonvallazione, 11
Taormina (Messina)
+39.0942.625202
Average prices: starters 20, first courses 20, main courses 26, desserts 20 euro
Always open in the summer