Not far from the Cathedral, for just under a year now, there has been a rooftop which is making headlines not only for the exclusivity of the spaces, but also and above all for its nikkei offer, capable of mixing Peruvian tradition with Japanese one. Both in the dishes of chef Chiara Di Salvo than in the cocktails of bar manager Marco Masiero. AND ISSEI Rooftop, of the Radisson Collection Hotel, Santa Sofia Milan.
The spaces
In the bohemian neighborhood Ticinese of Milan, between the Duomo and Bocconi, since April 2023 the terrace of a luxury hotel has been making headlines for its unique concept. It's about ISSEI Rooftop, located on the top floor of the 5 star Radisson Collection Hotel, Santa Sofia Milan. The group's hotel format is not actually new, as it is already present in Dubai, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Tallinn, but it is present in Italy. The aim is to explain the Nikkei culinary and mixing proposal in an exclusive space, such as a rooftop. If ISSEI indicates the first generation of Japanese immigrants in South America, nikkei is instead the term used to identify the culture born from the meeting between the Japanese and Peruvian populations, which occurred for the first time at the end of the 19th century.
The spaces, signed by studio Atelier P in collaboration with the concept interior designer Alessandro Mario Cesario, are the natural consequence of the nikkei proposal. The striped wallpaper, in continuity with the ceiling, moves between the colors of earth, black and orange. The aim is to take guests back a century, to the 1920s, with the choice of a mahogany counter and period lamps. The tables, in art deco style, are from a later era, as are the glossy briar sideboards from the mid-twentieth century.
The cocktails
The cocktails of the bar manager Marco Masiero and the head bartender Dario Baturi they develop into menus which are called volumes. The reason? The drinks are not the mere assembly of ingredients, but the result of collective research, which focuses each time on a different theme, which unites the Japanese and Peruvian countries. Once the aspect that unites the two countries was identified, i.e. the geographical morphology, it was decided to develop the first volume, still in paper, which took the name of Mountains, to recall the flavor profiles of autumn and winter cocktails. In addition to the graphic work, cocktails have been associated with the two cultures, also through exemplary study work.
Tupac amaru, for example, was one of the first Incas who opposed the conquistadors and, for this reason, called together other individuals to oppose the invasion. In the drink, the red color of the Martini Riserva Ambrato infused with yerba mate recalls, in its purplish-red color, the blood shed during the battle. To complete, Pisco Quebranta, a cordial of Chicha Morada Mulled (a traditional Peruvian drink made from corn infused with spices, here revisited with the aromas of mulled wine), and Soda. Momijigari, for example, indicates the period of fall of maple leaves. In the Momijigari Fashioned, a twist on the Old Fashioned, salted maple syrup is used to create intense and pleasant contrasts with Talisker Skye Whiskey, Nikka Days Whiskey, Perique Tobacco Liquor, Tonka, black pepper scent and “Gold” Nugget.
The passion for Japan of Marco and Dario, both sake sommeliers, is highlighted very well in the use of different types of sake as the base of the drinks. In Notti di Michelangelo a yuzu sake is used and in Yamabushi a sake with a lot of umami flavor. That, so to speak, given by the stock cube, soy sauce or Parmigiano Reggiano.
The kitchen
The kitchen of ISSEI Rooftop is signed by the chef with important experiences in London, from 2019 to 2023, Chiara Di Salvo. First chef de partie at The Medlar Restaurant and Gordon Ramsay Maze, then sous chef at Belmond and Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay. Precisely in this last restaurant, Chiara fell in love with Asian cuisine, which she decided to propose again, in combination with Peruvian cuisine, at ISSEI Rooftop, revisiting some key dishes from the two delicatessens, in a sharing format.
An example is given by ceviche, which here is prepared with a little-considered fish, sea bass, with toasted corn, jalapeño pepper, clementines, kumquats (widely used in Japan, particularly in the winter) and leche de tigre, a characteristic condiment of ceviche, here enriched with yuzu and clementine juice. There Cause, a potato, avocado and egg appetizer popular in Peruvian homes, is revived here with the addition of miso-glazed octopus, aji amarillo pepper in the potatoes and shiso to season the eggs.
THE Gyoza, classic of Asian cuisine, they are stuffed with minced beef, shiitake marinated in rice vinegar, soy sauce, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, steam cooked and then seasoned with the reduced marinating liquid.
THE Nori tacos they are tacos in which the traditional dough is replaced by one prepared with nori seaweed and egg white, stuffed in the Tuna variant with fresh tuna marinated with a sauce based on lettuce, jalapeño, avocado and coriander, rice and smoked herring eggs in home. Among desserts, it triumphs Toffee and Chocolate, based on a vegan dark mousse, covered with a chocolate and salt crumble, candied clementines, caramel and orange foam and sesame praline.
Who is Marco Masiero
Born in Bergamo in 1991, Marco Masiero moved to London at the age of 20 to approach the world of hospitality. He soon became a barman and began mixing in very different contexts: 5-star hotels, speakeasy, tiki bar and finally Sushisamba, a restaurant with Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine.
Here, he falls in love with Japanese art, which he will also have the opportunity to learn more about at Roka Mayfair, a restaurant where he learns how to cure ice. An experience in Spain, in Ibiza, separates him from a return to Italy: first at the Sottovoce speakeasy in Bergamo, housed in a deconsecrated church from the late 1400s, where he plays the role of bar manager and then, from February 2023, at ISSEI Rooftop in Milan. Where he took back his passion for the East which blossomed in London.
His favorite cocktail is the Americano, his distillates are agave spirits.
