Carlo e Camilla
Milan’s Salone di Mobile is my annual fix ‘rendez-vous’ with the global design scene. Besides trend inspirations I look forward to each years’ hot spots in Milan’s vibrant restaurant scene. Also this year we visited a few and I will post the others later on the blog.
Carlo e Camilla is situated in Segheria, Milan’s Navigli area. It’s not easy to find, as the restaurant is build in a defunct sawmill acquired by one of the founders grandparents in the 1930s. Only a discrete name sign is attached to a huge outside wall, no view inside the premise is possible. You have to ring the bell to enter this magical place. So we did…
The founders of Carlo e Camilla are Michelin-starred chef Carlo Cracco and art director Tanja Solci who joined forces to transform the industrial site into a cool restaurant, cocktail bar and outdoor garden & seating area. The first thing that strikes your eye is the fact that this restaurant is not the usual Milan super-polished dining experience. The historical brick and raw cement have been left exposed and in the open space 2 long cross-configuration tables are placed at the center, attached with each other and growing into the space like a huge snake. But the most beautiful aspect of this restaurant is the use of light. Vintage chandeliers are suspended from the meters high ceiling, dramatically lighting the space by casting shadows onto the table surfaces. The natural light coming in by the stained glass windows adds to the enchanting atmosphere.
Once entered you are led to your chair somewhere on the endless table, enjoying the spectacle of running waiters, the international vibe and cool ‘happy-to-be-here’ mood. Even the fact that the restaurant surface is quite enormous, intimacy and sharing are the main concept elements.
The food is top, and far from the pretension that Cracco’s other Milanese establishments have sometimes. Here he reinterprets traditional Italian recipes with a contemporary twist, nonchalantly dressed on eclectic ancient looking dishes. It all looks and tastes effortless and that’s how we like it. Check our plates, and see for yourself.
Carlo e Camilla is a great place to book a seat on the communal table with a bunch of friends, or you can check out the disconnected round table with a good view on the bar. In summer the garden and corresponding outdoor chambers are worth booking too.Later!
Kate
Via Giuseppe Meda, 24, 20141 Milano, Italië
www.carloecamillainsegheria.it
*Carlo e Camilla was tipped by our friends Peter & Suzy from the Belgian design store Domus Plus.