The secret is out

I remember the first time I walked down Little Italy in London, peeping through the windows of the rustic Italian restaurants, feeling like I was in an old gangster movie.

When I entered Cucina Italian Restaurant in Juffair, I had the same feeling … not just because one of the walls is engraved with Marlon Brando, The Godfather … but because the dim-lit dining area, the clay oven, the brick walls and the smell of tomatoes, garlic and basil all greet you right at the door.

It is like stepping through a time machine into the mobster era … the Italian neighbourhood, of course, in some far away US city. Not to mention, the wall made of wood log added to the vibe of the restaurant.

Cucina, ‘kitchen’ in English, certainly has the classic feel that diners think of when it comes to Italian food.

The restaurant only opened its doors in January of last year and is celebrating by adding to its menu in the near future as well as offering customers cooking classes by Italian executive chef Giordano Fortunato every month.

Chef Fortunato, 46, arrived in Bahrain 12 months ago and brought with him more than 23 years of culinary experience. Starting his career as a barman, he slowly moved the kitchen at the age of 23 and has never looked back.

He said: “I come from Calabria, a village in the south of Italy, where we use fresh and simple ingredients to make a dish. So when I created the menu for the restaurant I had this in mind. It is all very healthy and authentic.

“I learned a lot about cooking from my mother and many chefs I have worked with over the years. I am still learning every day and improving, nobody knows everything … and that is why I love the job, it never gets boring.

“Every month there will be one cooking class and every month I will teach a new dish in a simple and exciting way. The class is for everybody. Cooking has no secrets. I grew up being taught all the techniques and now I will share my own with the people of Bahrain.”

The meal usually starts with soft, freshly-baked bread paired with olive oil (that is sprinkled on almost every dish) and balsamic vinegar … but photographer Ryan, sales co-ordinator Bambi and I decided to skip that bit till the end and dig into the first main dish.

The cernia in padella, which is a pan fried hammour in a seafood sauce served on toasted risotto for BD6.800, is considered the most popular dish on the menu … and I can see why.
The hammour was tender with a tangy zest and I tried toasted risotto for the first time ... but it will definitely not be my last.

Next came the Alfredo. Chef Fortunato explained to us that the Alfredo many have become so accustomed to in Bahrain is not the real deal from Italy. So, he whipped us up some spaghetti, double cream, parmesan cheese, with a pinch of salt and nutmeg … it sounded so simple, but the flavours were delicious.

Explaining why the Alfredo wasn’t exactly what I was used to, general manager Christophe-Bruno Marziale explained that Chef Giordano does not adapt any dishes to local tastes like many other Italian restaurants in the kingdom ... so, it was another first for me – my first time to taste ‘real’ Alfredo.

Mr Marziale, pictured above, said: “It was our first anniversary recently and now we are going to hopefully introduce new dishes and beverages, some imported from Italy.

“Everything on offer in Cucina is fresh and authentic. Even the pasta is homemade and not industrial, which the chef teaches in the cooking class.

“We are a down-to-earth restaurant aiming to satisfy all palettes with good food and great value for money. Our family-style food sticks to exactly how the recipes would be found in any eatery in Italy … we don’t mix or alter them.

“We have a very wide selection of food with 15 different pastas and pizzas, steaks and fish. We also serve breakfast.

“We decided to incorporate cooking classes because customers have a great interest in it and everyone wants to know Chef Giordano’s secrets!”