A seafood restaurant on the shores of Garda? To some it may seem a contradiction in terms. But new restaurant Il Giglio in Fasano, Gardone Riviera, could surely be a pleasant diversion for those who have already been appreciating the local cuisine based obviously on lake fish.
Opened just last April, Il Giglio has in reality already had a previous life a few years ago, followed by a long period of closure. Then, in 2014, the building was taken over by Virginio and Renato Riva businessmen in Brescia which are not in the restaurant business, who have found a partner and shareholder in Antonello Oggiano, a Sardinian chef (he comes from the beautiful village of Castelsardo on the north coast of the island) with an at least unusual curriculum: a former policeman in the Command protecting cultural heritage, in service in Venice, he later became a chef in Cremona where he moved for love reasons.
“I had to marry me and I could not be transferred in the town – he says -. So I chose to change work rediscovering a subject I knew well, since mine has been a fishermen family for several generations and I grew up eating fish almost everyday. ”
In Cremona, Oggiano worked in La Trappola restaurant, then he opened Villa Vaticano in Paderno Ponchielli and managed it for almost 14 years. He now works as a fish consultant for several companies as well as for the main deli of Cremona. And in the evening, he “flies” on Lake Garda, where he found a good collaborator in Sandro Conforti, sommelier and bartender on Lake Garda which has agreed to join him in this new adventure. And so the Giglio Restaurant flourished again, with a proposal which features no meat, no fish from the lake, only sea fish. The availability of the fish, which comes from the market in Milan, drives the variety of the menu: in which you can choose between the traditional fish dishes, or rely on a “menu degustazione” (the price of which, depending on the variety available, is communicated to the table) in which you can taste and endless series of samples (between 12 and 15), often simple but always correct. The wine list, still growing, has naturally a good choice of Lugana and Chiaretto (but also Franciacorta), and a selection of white wines from all over Italy. The bill is between 60 and 70 euro, drinks not included.
Leave a Comment