Milan is well known for a lot of things. Fashion, architecture but also food. Italy on its own is well known for food. Mostly it is pasta, pizza and risotto. But not quite like the ones we found at Alice.

Next to the Porta Garibaldi and the famous street Corso Como, you will find a beautiful modern building called Eataly. Well the catchy and well found name says it all. A place where you will find everything you ever could dream of in terms of Italian delicacies. A big marketplace with fresh ingredients and many food stands to taste them all. But on the top floor, hidden from the crowd is a secret door to a restaurant called Alice.

When entering through that door, you go from the crowded and loud Eataly to wonderland. (Yes, I did a Alice in Wonderland joke here) You enter a calm, quite place with a view over the Porta Garibaldi. You can feel a sense of harmony that is highlighted by art on every table.

Although you can see and feel you entered something fancy it is nowhere near as stiff as restaurants of this caliber can be. We first weren’t even sure if it would be a Michelin star restaurant. But boy were we wrong. After entering, having been greeted by the staff and being accompanied to your table you already started to feel more special. Staff is very well dressed, very polite and very very good in executing their job with perfection and an eye for detail.

The look of the restaurant is modern. Wooden tables, modern art and an open kitchen. But all of that doesn’t matter if the food starts coming. Chef Viviana Varese found a balance between traditional Italian cuisine a French touch and a modern twist. Like a risotto for example. We have had wonderful risottos in the past, prepared with white wine, occasionally red wine but never with plankton. The plankton gives the risotto a wonderful green color and an extraordinary taste. On top of that, the plate it is served in is designed to display all different kinds of sea life. You will have to go for yourself in order to know what we mean.

All in all a great experience. Even if you just want to come in and try a pasta as it should be, you will be welcomed with open arms. The chef has been rewarded with one Michelin star in 2011 but you can sense they want more. We believe they are heading the right way and wish them all the tasty luck or the future.

Which classic Italian dish would you try with a modern twist?