300mila in Lecce, the restaurant with the best spirits list in Italy
The cuisine of the executive chef, Stefano Carcagni, surprises with good and imaginative dishes, not to be missed is the pacchero with grouper sauce and the perfect egg cooked at low temperature.
Its 70s-style sign as I arrived at the front door of the Leccese restaurant, 300mila, unexpectedly took me back in time to the days of Happy Days, the famous American series that ruled television with its engaging, lighthearted spirit.
Although it has a history and a family tradition of restaurateurs, until now I had never been to its "gastronomic hub". It looks like a masterpeace, a perfect snapshot of an era that left an indelible mark in cultural history. This experience left me with a good feeling, I felt like they wanted to evoke for us as customers that perfect environment of those happy times.
And I stepped inside.
As I was immersing myself in this timeless dimension, I immediately understood that Davide De Matteis' restaurant, which I had the pleasure of meeting among other things, is an enchanted refuge, where passion for art, design and culinary excellence come together to create a unique and enveloping experience. He is a visionary, a dreamer but he is also a son of art.
It is enough to think that he breathed the air of good things as a child, when after school he used to go to his parents' historic "Cotognata Leccese," which we all still appreciate today for the wonderful sweets and most of all for the pasticciotti .
Are you ready for this extraordinary journey where the soul is refreshed and the heart is filled with joy? In my column A Portata di Manu today I would like to share with you this incredible gastronomic experience if you come to Lecce, as well as ideas, experiences and itineraries, but also things to do if you come to these parts whether you are a foreign visitor or a tourist at home.
Everything is studied in detail starting from the vertical garden, an unexpected green oasis, which embraces the dehors, giving a touch of nature and freshness to this enchanted place.
But it is in the spirits list that Davide De Matteis has shown all his skill. A worldwide selection of gin, rum, whiskey, cognac, vodka, each sip is a sensory journey through the places of origin. Among other things, in 2022 he received the special award "restaurant with the best spirits list in Italy" from the prestigious Gambero Rosso's Ristoranti d'Italia guide.
Young and international staff, vast offer both sweet and savory - croissants, pasticciotti, parisian, brioche, muffins, cakes, pastries, shortbread biscuits, sandwiches, pralines, holiday desserts - excellent ice cream, fabulous bread, centrifuges, cocktails, sorbets. Everything is strictly at km 0 and this is what makes it unique.
You should know "sushi lovers" when Asian cuisine had not yet imposed itself so overwhelmingly on our tables, Davide DeMatteis, after having managed internationally, some of the most prestigious chains in the world, as early as 2006 was offering sushi made in Puglia in his restaurant. Of course, he had learned this art from the Japanese masters, and he were the first to have the intuition of Italian-style sushi with the highest quality products, mostly from the local area, that we do not all appreciate today
such as the Uramaki with goat cheese cream, purple Gallipoli prawns and semi-dried tomatoes from Torre Guaceto or the Special Maki Roll Felicity with steamed prawns, avocado, crumbs of tempura with basil outside, Hot Maio.
And then let's talk about the cooking of the executive chef, the young Stefano Carcagni. The shyness of this guy, if you get to know him, goes before himselfs, but when he brings the dishes to the table, you immediately feel that he has that ability to surprise you with pairings and balance of flavors that are appreciated for the freshness of the ingredients and the imagination in the preparation. I tasted most of them.
He said small samples, as we always say in Puglia, but after that they were so good that I couldn't resist. Interesting I also found the spaghettone alla chitarra with fresh tuna, fresh tomato and lemon, amazing the pacchero with grouper sauce (which I beg you to taste) very tender instead the octopus in oil cooking seared with rosemary with homemade giardiniera 300mila,
Without equal is the perfect egg cooked at low temperature, which would vary according to the season, in summer enjoyed it on "scattarisciato" tomato cream, spring onion and frisa crumble.
I am aware that I am a good fork but I swear on the goodness of the table, I never joke about it, everything was really good and the place is also suitable for a seafood salad so if you are on a diet, there is certainly the right dish for you too.
Davide De Matteis preparing his personal Bellini with fresh peaches. Ask for it!!!!!
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