10-05-2017
Lorenzo Cogo at work behind the pass at his new El Coq in Vicenza (photo Tanio Liotta)
A new Lorenzo Cogo at the new El Coq, since July 2016 in the heart of Vicenza
At the entrance, the Carlton library by Ettore Sottsass, a great designer, founder of the Memphis Group. In fact, it is entirely made in sugar, the work of artist Marco Chiurato
We get to the first floor: the perspective at the entrance recalls the depth of Palladio’s works
The elegant dining room
Precious cutlery by Giò Ponti for Sambonet. Everything is studied: the colour of the tablecloth is inspired by the roof of the Basilica Palladiana
The view from the dining room...
...and from the kitchen
Let’s start: Cherry tomato, angustura, vegetable jus. All the photos of the dishes are by Tanio Liotta
Beetroot macaroons with radicchio and Béarnaise sauce with mint
Choux pastry with peanut cream and dried bacon
Doughnut with goat cheese and curry cream: the last appetizer
Fondale marino, scalogno, salmone e salicornia: the shallot is chargrilled, there’s peppermint mousse, powdered salmon, and granita made with sea asparagus and orange bitter
Amberjack belly, rosola and peas: an improvisation based on what was available from the market. Fish and peas are chargrilled, then there’s a vinaigrette of pods and rosole, poppies
Chargrilled calamari, babaganush, bergamot and teriaki: the grill, once again. Cogo learnt its perfect use from Basque master Victor Arguinzoniz of Asador Etxebarri
Bosaga roe, yellow pepper, sake and ice camomile. Masterful what with complexity and elegance. Bosaga is a fish typical of Chioggia
Jerusalem artichoke "risotto", tuna bottarga and horseradish. There are many fake risottos available, such as the one with celeriac by Yoji Tokuyoshi and Salvatore Tassa or the vegetable one by Pedro Subijana. This is really perfect, with cream of Parmigiano and artichoke petals
Spaghetti with garlic and oil, hazelnut milk and seafood, with caviar of iced extra virgin olive oil and sea fennel. Beautiful, masterful and quite good too
Gargato, squid liver, mousse of buffalo milk mozzarella and ginseng. Gargato is a small maccherone. A delicious dish
Iceberg is an interlude: the salad is soaked in amaro Alpestre, a herb spirit. Then powdered cassis
Veal liver, wild asparagus, San Giuseppe, a typical spirit from Vicenza. Plus hop gel, cranberries and bran. Perfect harmony
Sweetbreads, radicchio and yogurt with herbs: the sweetbreads are cooked in hay, the radicchio is grilled. There’s balance, flavour, structure, elegance in every dish. Enrico Bartolini comes to mind
Piglet pluma, tofu, black garlic, rocket salad cream, turnip tops and ravette, that is to say wild baby radicchio. «There’s a man who gets them for me at over 1,600 metres, on the mountains above Marano Vicentino. He digs them out of the snow»
Pane e olio, that is to say bread gelato with extra virgin olive oil, celery seeds and candied walnut. «It’s my homage to Marano Vicentino. I created it the day I said goodbye». Cogo opened in Vicenza on the 19th of July 2016, the day of his 30th birthday
Artichoke gelato, barley and crispy coffee: the desserts are of the same (very high) standards as all the rest. The same goes for the service, handed to Fabio Lanaro and Stefano Campaniello
Final sweets: Lemon tarte with horseradish
Macaroons with rocket salad
Walk up the stairs, leaving the splendour of the Palladian Basilica behind you. Ring the bell, get inside: to the right, there’s the Carlton bookcase by Ettore Sottsass, a great designer, the founder of the Memphis Group. In front of you, the lift and a screen. Lorenzo Cogo welcomes us on the floor above. Congratulations, you have a Sottsass bookcase, a legendary piece… «What? It’s made entirely of sugar! Artist Marco Chiurato did it for me». The video is also by the same author, titled Ti amo e ti odio, «it happens to me too. Those who value my work love me, for the acknowledgements I received so young. But I’m hated for the same reason, “he’s so young and he’s already received so many acknowledgements. Before others. He’ll get big headed”».
So, did you? «Here in Vicenza I put myself to the test, in a difficult, important project. It’s a beautiful location but it used to be an empty restaurant, one locals avoided. I tell them and I tell everyone: come here, my door is open. Judge my work, if I’m good, love me, if I’m terrible, hate me. Not vice versa». There’s another video that Chiurato curated for Cogo, Illusione, you can watch it here. It represents leavening, the both long and fast expansion. «The weight however stays the same». You grow, but if there’s talent, matter, these remain unchanged.
The view over the Basilica Palladiana
«There, I was at home. Here, I’m in a restaurant, my restaurant. There, people would travel to see me, because they had heard of my cuisine and wanted to try it out. Here locals don’t care: they come and want to enjoy themselves. So I must present a cosy and diversified offer».
Spaghetti with garlic and oil, hazelnut milk and seafood
The menu deserves an explanation. As for the single dishes, please refer to the photo gallery by Tanio Liotta. There’s a simpler à la carte offer, not to discourage newcomers: Tortellino with pigeon liver and its broth, “Rubia Gallega” entrecote… None of these dishes is included in the two tasting menus: the first, Sostanza, includes five dishes chosen among great ingredients and El Coq classics. Plus there’s Esperienza, research and experiments. Everything runs smoothly. Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso
An outdoor trip or a journey to the other side of the planet? One thing is for sure: the destination is delicious, by Carlo Passera
by
journalist born in 1974, for many years he has covered politics, mostly, and food in his free time. Today he does exactly the opposite and this makes him very happy. As soon as he can, he dives into travels and good food. Identità Golose's editor in chief