The Bianca sul Lago restaurant is the jewel in the crown of the Five-star Boutique Hotel Bianca Relais, located on the shores of Lake Annone in the province of Lecco. Through the large windows that characterise the restaurant's elegant, minimalist space, the room offers striking views of surrounding unspoilt nature, where the lake meets the mountainous landscapes of Monte Barro and Cornizzolo. Diners are invited, in this scenic setting, to indulge themselves with a sophisticated and satisfying gastronomic experience led by Chef Emanuele Petrosino, a young star of Italian cuisine. He was trained in France and in some of the most renowned kitchens in Italy, including at the two-starred Danì Maison and Taverna Estia, and at the three-starred Piazza Duomo. Straight from his first experience as executive chef at the restaurant I Portici in Bologna he was awarded the title of Best Young Italian Chef of 2019 by the Michelin Guide.
For the past three years at the helm of the Bianca sul Lago kitchen brigade, Chef Petrosino has further honed his ideas on cuisine, taking his dishes to new levels of taste and refinement, winning a Michelin Star in 2021. The menu features recipes from the Italian gastronomic tradition reinterpreted in contemporary vein to enhance the flavour and quality of the ingredients drawn from small producers scattered all over Italy. “The raw ingredient plays the leading role in every dish, and is the most important element to seek out. We try to bring together the very best that the Italian landscape has to offer, such as meat from Piedmont, the Marco D'Oggiono cold cuts, and the mozzarella strictly from Campania”, explains Chef Petrosino. To accompany the dishes more than 600 wines from the very best Italian vineyards are available, as well as some excellent labels from the bordering countries of France, Germany and Austria.
The aim is to celebrate the Italian gastronomic heritage, with no special preference for any particular region or geographical area. As confirmation of this the Chef's calling card is his spaghettone al pomodoro, a star feature of all home kitchens in Italy and loved by Bianca sul Lago's large international clientele for its authenticity. In full respect of the seasonality of the ingredients, it is made using a selection of 34 tomatoes from Vesuvius in summer and with preserves from the same company in Campania in the colder months. As well as the à la carte menu, there are also three sensory journeys that can be taken through different regional culinary traditions, each replete with colours, scents and intense flavours. For those looking for the most complete and unforgettable of experiences, Chef Petrosino has devised a tasting menu called 'Chef Fai Tu', which varies from time to time according to what sparks his imagination at that moment.
Open for lunch and dinner from Thursdays to Sundays, the starred restaurant Bianca sul Lago is a place where respect for the landscape and the environment, traditions and the ingredients themselves goes hand in hand with respect for those people who daily dedicate their skills and energy to the service of the customers. “There are no less than eight shifts so that the staff's energies can be clearly focussed, as we optimise the service to give as much freedom as possible to the restaurant and kitchen staff and ensure each person’s job is a better one”, explains Chef Petrosino. The new season will also see the introduction of new ideas, like the introduction of small aperitifs at the beginning of the meal based on savoury pastry products that will set up the diners' palates for the extraordinary taste experiences to follow from the kitchen. Customers at Bianca Relais' Drop bistro and lounge bar will also have the chance to explore Emanuele Petrosino's refined cuisine at any time of day. Among the snacks and small dishes on offer is a Neapolitan pizza with five variations that depend on the ingredients in season at the time. The authenticity of the flavours, and the care taken in the preparation and interpretation of the tradition at the skilful hand of Emanuele Petrosino, means that Bianca sul Lago is today a gem of contemporary Italian cuisine.