As I sat down with Antonio, the owner of Vinoteca Ristorante Italiono: Antonio, three new Italian restaurants opened their doors before we even finished our pesto roso. That’s not the entire truth, but it feels like it these days as Itaewon is turning into “Little Italy”. With over 8 Italian restaurants to choose from- the question now remains “Which is The Italian restaurant to visit when you are craving a taste of Italy?”
When creating his restaurant, Antonio’s main goal was to bring authentic Italian cuisine to Korea for people to taste the difference. How did Antonio do this you might ask? Well for starters, three native Italian chefs grace the staff between Antonio’s two locations in Itaewon and Gangnam. These chefs grew up in Italy and have spent their lives in the kitchen recreating their mother’s recipes. As brilliant as their food tastes they are very modest “my mama is still the best”, Omar the head chef at Antonio’s Itaewon humbly admits, when I asked him “who is the best cook in his family?”
When you walk into Antonio’s you are greeted by its warm feeling; the rustic orange finish compliments the dark wooden seating and its open concept allows you to watch as the master chefs prepare hand stuffed tortellini, homemade pizzas and hand made cannoli. Choose a window view over the Itaewon strip, relax beside the inviting piano or warm your bones and sit next to the towering wood oven during these chilly winter nights and watch as your pizza is being masterfully prepared.
Experience the difference between a foreign take-on-Italian and authentic Italian. Antonio prides himself on his authenticity and imports everything from his choice selection of hams and cheeses to his olive oil and pana da cucina. “We aren’t the Italian restaurant in Korea, we are The Italian restaurant”, Antonio proudly states. “Great Italian food begins with great ingredients, and this is where you can taste the difference”. The cicatelli for example, is a homemade pasta in a traditional mushroom cream sauce- though instead of opting for a Korean whipping cream that leaves the sauce in a runnier state- pana da cucina, an Italian cooking cream, is used allowing the sauce and mushrooms to fuse with the noodle in a much heartier consistency. It is the small things that end up making the big difference.
Another factor that differentiates Antonio’s is the all Italian wine list that spans through 9 regions of Italy including: Veneto, Toscana, Sicilia, and Antonio’s home town of Puglia. This was deliberately done to allow an Italian wine to compliment an Italian dish. Italy is broken into 20 diverse regions, each spawning their own style and unique flavour. Each month starting in February, Antonio is recreating a taste of Italy from each regions specialties. February is dedicated to Venice, a city resting on the Adriatic Sea, so be ready to enjoy a beautiful combination of seafood and pasta.
Leafing through the menu, over a cup of fresh brewed coffee, Antonio told me an interesting tale of the history of the margherita pizza. Napoli native Raffaele Esposito was the owner and baker of Pizzeria di Pietro e Basta Cosi in Naples. One day he decided to make pizza in honor of the Queen who was visiting Naples in 1889. He brought three pizzas to her and told her to choose one- the Queen chose a pizza consisting of green basil leaves, white mozzarella and red tomatoes- the color of the Italian flag. And from then on the pizza was named after her majesty, Queen Margherita of Savoy. And you can cut into your own delicious wood oven margherita pizza, or you can sieve through Antonio’s extensive menu boasting four pages alone of there wood oven delicacies, followed by fluffy pastas, rich risottos, salads and soups, grilled meats and of course, sinful desserts.
As I packed to leave, the sound of a piano began to echo through the restaurant. I turned around and found Antonio sitting on his throne striking the keys to the tune of happy birthday, serenading a table of starry-eyed women who all got to enjoy their own authentic taste of Italy.
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