Spoilt for choice
There is no better guide for gourmets in southern Switzerland than Dany Stauffacher. We had the pleasure of accompanying the founder and CEO of the Sapori Ticino culinary festival on an enjoyable tour of his home region and not only pass on his enthusiasm for the restaurants presented here, but also a message that was very important to him: ‘When I’m asked for restaurant tips, I always have the same problem: I’m spoilt for choice. There’s so much on offer now in Ticino that for every restaurant I recommend, I have to leave out dozens of others that are just as deserving.’
Osteria cuntitt
An estate lovingly renovated in a Lombard style provides a platform for one of the most sensual chefs in Switzerland to demonstrate his skills. His name: Federico Palladino. His accolades include a star in the Michelin Guide as well as 16 points and the title of Aufsteiger des Jahres 2024 (Up-and-comer of the year 2024) from Gault Millau. Palladino, who also cooks for the after-school care facility next to his restaurant, combines the quality consciousness and finesse of haute cuisine with the feel-good factor of an Italian mama’s kitchen. For example, his signature dish is spaghettoni with smoked Gotthard butter, burnt Amalfi lemon and gilt-head bream sashimi.
The pasta comes from Massimo Mancini, the only producer in Italy who grows the durum wheat used in his products himself, as Palladino knows that there should also be no compromises when shopping for ingredients. The egg pasta is, of course, home made – and extremely popular. Leading the way in the popularity stakes is the bottoni with its different seasonal fillings, closely followed by the taglioni which contains 30 egg yolks per kilo of pasta. It would be too boring for Palladino if all he did was act as a steward of the culinary heritage of his Italian homeland. Instead, he takes the grand classics of Italian cuisine and turns them upside down and inside out, albeit without corrupting their heart and soul. We were blown away by his interpretation of vitello tonnato, comprising a piece of braised veal tongue with a robust jus, carne cruda made from veal fillet, a tuna foam and pickled caper leaves.
Palladino is also masterful in his preparation of poultry, roasting quail and pigeon breast to a perfect pink colour and adding a glaze made from locally sourced honey. At the magical Osteria Cuntitt, coffee is something that is not only made in a machine, it is also used to make a mousse that forms the basis of a wonderful dessert together with salted caramel, caramel brittle and milk glacé. Fantastico!
Badalucci taste of art
Entering Marco Badalucci’s small kingdom in the Cassarate district of Lugano will see you embark on a culinary journey to Southern Italy. Hailing from the island of Procida, the chef celebrates a multi-faceted yet straightforward cuisine that is focused on first-class ingredients from the sea and would also cause a huge stir in his home region.
Gault Millau has awarded Badalucci’s elegant and stimulating Italianità 16 points, and the Michelin Guide is likely to reward him with a star soon. The restaurant, which was formerly home to a boutique owned by British Royal and society jeweller Andrew Grima, exudes more the charm of a dignified private residence than the atmosphere of a traditional restaurant. This is complemented by the cheerful, friendly waiting staff who present the culinary creations to their guests with a great deal of pride and wit. Spaghetti is sometimes served cold here, together with sea bass crudo and caviar.
Sea bass is also one of the ingredients used to create a hearty mille-feuille together with foie gras, baby artichokes and a balsamic reduction. The head chef demonstrates his ingenuity – as well as his skilled craftsmanship – with his tortelli, which look quite normal from the outside, but have a seafood filling in lieu of the more traditional flavours. A Mediterranean twist on the traditional Tortellini in brodo! With an Americano grape risotto with bergamot and scallops, Badalucci serves up a delicious combination of flavours from his Southern Italian homeland and Ticino.
The sweet desserts at this wonderful restaurant showcase the chef’s creative skills while remaining true to the traditions of Italian cuisine. The best example of this is the refreshing reinterpretation of the cassata that is sure to put a smile on your face.
La veranda
At La Brezza, Campanella has already paired cucumber together with seared langoustines and sour cream, as well as with pickled mackerel and passion fruit.
Passion fruit? ‘Yes, they go together excellently. Another interesting ingredient that complements cucumbers is kalamansi. The citrus fruit is similar to a mandarin and like the passion fruit its firm acidity is balanced by its sweet flavour.’
One of Campanella’s formative culinary memories also featured cucumbers, more precisely cocomero pugliese – a type of cucumber that is typically grown in Puglia and looks like a small melon. ‘Whenever I went to the beach with my grandmother, she always packed cocomero for us. We have kept this tradition alive and always enjoy the refreshing and slightly sweet flavour of this cucumber like small children,’ explains Campanella.
With a little bit of luck, cocomero pugliese will also be served to guests at La Brezza – fresh when it is in season and preserved when not.
The menu continues with artfully rolled up spaghetti topped with raw scampi flavoured with lemon zest and chives. The warmth of the pasta gives the slightly sweet meat of the crustaceans just the right temperature, and we are once again amazed at how simple great culinary happiness can be.
The main course is a little excursion into French cuisine: perfectly fried sole, only removed from the bone at the table, with a rich beurre blanc, to which a portion of caviar adds the finishing touch. A spoonful of fluffy mashed potato and a small vegetable bouquet is all you need to go with it.
For our next visit, we have made a mental note to try the catch of the day in a salt crust and the tortellini with braised black pork in a mushroom broth with Ticino herbs.
For a sweet finish, there is no way around the sponge cake soaked in coffee and Nocino with mascarpone mousse, coffee and vanilla cream. It’s a kind of tiramisu 2.0 – and worth every sinful calorie.
Words Alex Kuehn
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