Mater, as matter and as mother. As a search for the essential, because true elegance is simple, spontaneous, needs no frills or artifice. A name that reflects the values and philosophy of this small contemporary restaurant. A place to rediscover the pleasure of going out feeling at home.
A short time ago we were guests of Mater Bistrot, a place in the Piazza Cinque Giornate area with a culinary proposal almost star-worthy (on the Michelin guide they were actually mentioned) but at prices within everyone’s reach. An unconventional place, where the most daring combinations find counterpoint and support in the aromas and scents of natural wines.
Crossing Mater’s threshold, it seems that time stands still and you seem to be transported elsewhere, to another city. It does not even seem to be in Milan.
An easygoing but refined and elegant place suitable for any occasion, you eat close together as in the most authentic little restaurants in Paris. Formality gives way to small talk, the unexpected joke, the light laughter that melts away tensions by gracefully diluting them in a glass of wine. Feeling good and at home, eating and drinking as well as in those quaint Spanish tapas bars where people gather after work to hang out, chat with friends, the host and whoever passes by, Mater Bistrot is cozy, without too many frills, intriguing and well-kept. The beating heart is the counter that faces directly onto the open kitchen so you can observe the mastery of the cooks and perhaps steal a few culinary secrets live. There is a relaxed atmosphere that relaxes and cleanses you from the Milanese city chaos once you cross the threshold.
The kitchen of Mater Bistrot
In the kitchen, the signature of Alex Leone who guides the senses on an unconventional gastronomic journey. He a young culinary talent and, the third partner in the restaurant who completes Mater’s team, able to move with ease and lightness from the appetizing taste to accompany the glass, to the rich aperitif to share, to the more structured dinner or the tasting menu experience. It all depends on how one chooses to read and interpret the menu.
A cuisine made of contrasts that surprises and excites. Dishes where vibrant colors and decomposed geometries are protagonists, becoming the sign and starting point for a gastronomic journey with a high emotional rate. Master Bistrot’s kitchen is circular: food waste parts find new life with fermentations, bottoms, sauces and even liqueurs of their own making. Circular cooking leads the chef to engineer more and more to breathe new life into those scraps that others would throw away. A whole series of experiments contribute to the creation of innovative and fun recipes.
The menu (which you can read here) is divided into “with your hands“-dishes to savor, without the need for a fork and knife (including duck meatballs with chimichurri sauce and seafood meatballs with ‘nduja)-, “saucers,” designed specifically for sharing, and four main courses . We whose launched on the sharing dishes and tried the Palamita Tataki, persimmon, mustard and leeks. Veal meatballs with clementine gel to comtinuate then with a mouthwatering risotto with fermented currants and shitake and to finish a cream of chestnut, green apple and granola
We were pleasantly impressed by Mater Bistrot and look forward to coming back to try everything we miss with a good glass of wine that cannot be missed at Mater’s.