Mizukami Riki
Vegetable cone with fried fishby Heinz Beck
Signature Dishes Spaghettino al "pomodoro d'inverno" è il Piatto del 2023 di Paolo Gori
Misto mare Imago 8, a masterpiece antipasto from Andrea Antonini, chef at Imago, the restaurant on the sixth floor of hotel Hassler in Rome
On the latest menu at Imago, the restaurant overlooking Rome from the sixth floor of hotel Hassler, on top of the Spanish Steps, there’s an incomplete number eight in red, which resembles a bitten doughnut. Eight because this is the eighth menu created and presented by Andrea Antonini, born in Rome in 1991, at the helm there since the spring of 2019. Had it not been for the pandemic, there could have been a couple more, but this is reality and in this case it’s a very important result for the chef and his team, starting from maître Marco Amato and sommelier Alessio Bricoli.
The two minds at Imago in Rome: Marco Amato, left, and Andrea Antonini, right
Marco Amato laughs because at Imago there’s a rule that men dine wearing a jacket and if you don’t have one, they will supply one for you
And even though at the beginning it was clear that Antonini was full of talent, it is only with menu number 8 that he completed the training, dishes and spaces. The dining room, at first sight, seems the usual, no detail has changed. False: they have removed three tables. Now there’s a table for each large window overlooking Rome, while in the past it could happen that guests would have a column in between, giving a partial view of the uniquely beautiful city.
The welcome platter in menu number eight at Imago inside hotel Hassler in Rome
Andrea Antonini and Calamaro alla milanese, November 2022
Andrea Antonini and Ravioli with rabbit liver, spugnole mushrooms and cocoa broth
The new cheese cart at Imago: left only Italy, right only Rome and Lazio
Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso
born in Milan in March 1955, at Il Giornale for 31 years dividing himself between sports and food, since 2004 he's the creator and curator of Identità Golose. twitter @oloapmarchi
A mouth watering page, published every Sunday in Il Giornale from November 1999 to the autumn of 2010. Stories and personalities that continue to live in this website