Where Chefs Eat: Valentino Cassanelli

Hailing from Modena, and having worked for Giorgio Locatelli in London, the Forte dei Marmi based chef, shares his favourite dining spots.

Ryugin -Tokyo

Experimental chef Seiji Yamamoto has put modern Japanese cuisine on the map with this three-Michelin-star restaurant, inside the Hibiya Midtown building in in Hibiya, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. "This temple of Japanese Kaiseki cuisine is characterised by great research that brings the most ancient traditions to the contemporary fine dining scene for a suggestive culinary expression of the restaurant. Best to visit there in December to savour the delicious snow crab dishes."

Alinea - Chicago

Chicago chef Grant Achatz, whose molecular gastronomy–minded Alinea is one of the Chicago's two Michelin-three-stars restaurants."What is on offer is an absolute, incredible experience that moves between kitchen, design and innovation. Once you cross the threshold, enter into a tunnel of new flavours, exciting fresh combinations, and enthusiastic tasting, coming from all over the world and representing the magic of the city of blues with great effect."

Uliassi - Senigallia, Italy 

Once a modest shack on beautiful Spiaggia di Velluto (the 'velvet beach'), Uliassi is now one of the best-regarded seafood restaurants in Italy. The menu is completely reinvented every year during the restaurant's annual extended closure. "The Uliassi family welcomes their guests with a dining room directly overlooking the sea as if it were your own home. The restaurant features an apparent simplicity for attentive but informal service and mind-blowing cuisine. You can enjoy the best atmosphere and the incredible game menu in autumn when the town is still quiet without the summer crowds."

Duomo - Ragusa 

Just a few metres from the Duomo di San Giorgio - is this two-Michelin starred spot. Inside, the small rooms are outfitted like private parlors in a 19th-century country-Victorian style, some with sweeping views over the hillsides. "Ciccio Sultano transforms the ancient Sicilian Baroque cuisine into exciting fine dining dishes, marked by an unmistakably identifiable elegance and refinement. It’s wonderful to experience his cuisine in winter; when walking around Ragusa Ibla is draped in romanticism, and the menus are vibrant in colours and depth."

David Toutain - Paris

Having made a name for himself at some renowned establishments (L'Arpège, Agapé Substance), David Toutain has opened his own two-Michelin starred restaurant - in the neighbourhood of Les Invalides in Paris. "Formal and relaxed at the same time, the restaurant brings all the French wisdom to the table with a daring personal spirit. The spaces are particularly thought to convey an elegant sense of conviviality. Not to be missed is 'hare à la royale', served like it was a tiramisu."

Valentino Cassanelli is the chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant Lux Lucis - located on the panoramic rooftop of boutique hotel Principe Forte dei Marmi. Known for his contemporary styled dishes which draw inspiration from his life experiences and the rich biodiversity surrounding the coastal town of Forte dei Marmi, a gem of Versilia.


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