ITALY. “Cuisine to unmask the true self.” That’s the culinary claim for an extraordinary new restaurant opened at T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS.
The Alajmo family – renowned in foodie circles as the owners of Le Calandre and La Montecchia restaurants in Padua, Caffè Stern in Paris and Grancaffè & Ristorante Quadri in St. Mark’s Square – has just opened the upscale AMO restaurant at the famous Venetian landmark, now reincarnated by DFS Group as a luxury shopping and cultural centre.
The family teamed up with French designer Philippe Starck to create the AMO concept, which DFS said “marks the birth of a very special type of restaurant experience”. The retailer said that AMO offers “the purity within [the] opulence” of the magnificent shopping and architectural surrounds.”
[dvgallery id=”161583″ vertical=”no”]
Particular thought has gone into AMO’s graphic identity, which is designed to tell a story. The restaurant takes the iconic mask of Venice, and its inherent role in hiding the intentions of a person, and turns it on its head. A series of images depict a collection of characters – modern Venetians and others who come to revel in the city’s beauty – each designed to represent style, elegance and glamour.
“This concept is represented graphically through AMO’s Venetian mask motif,” said Raffaele Alajmo, who oversaw the development. “But our masks are the opposite of what one would expect: our masks strip away the labels and confines of outer style, revealing the true purity of the inner self.”
DFS described AMO as a “revelatory experience”, one that evokes elegance and authenticity, from the food and the people to the city of Venice itself. Starck said he envisioned and later expressed the restaurant as a metaphor of Venice, and its “mysterious duality”.
“AMO is an island of Venetian mystery in the middle of the world’s treasures,” he said. “Each piece of furniture or interior design is a concentrate of the Venetian spirit; sofas inspired by gondolas; glass works directly stemming from the genius of Murano; mural paintings representing fantasies from the Venice carnival. All becomes the décor of a Venetian theater.”
“Our goal is to serve simple, yet tasty food inside a space of real beauty and culture”– Massimiliano Alajmo
AMO’s Murano glass artifacts include a chandelier created by Murano artist Aristide Najean. Metal finishing pieces in the restaurant enhance the bright, joyful atmosphere with polished inox, golden and copper touches.
Above all, its creators said, AMO is “a place where people can meet, eat, talk, work and love… a village square, a forum filled with treasures brought to Venice from all around the world”. Unique pieces include a chair in polished cast bronze by Tjep, imported from Amsterdam, and an artistic chair by Boca de Lobo from Portugal. On the café walls, Ara Starck, artist and daughter of Philippe Starck, created mural paintings as an organic evocation of the city.
“I wanted this matter to be an evocation of this body, this substance that envelops Venice,” she said. “A matter that would appear as the foreshores of the Venetian lagoon appear. With its canals as a blood network that create sinuous convolutions growing by connecting to each other.”
“We are thrilled to partner with the Alajmo family and Philippe Starck to bring visitors to T Fondaco dei Tedeschi a culinary experience that epitomises the soul of Venice,” said DFS Group Region President, Europe and Middle East Eleonore de Boysson.
“AMO is the final piece in what has been an extraordinary revival of this historic centre of culture and commerce, and we are confident that travellers from all across the world will love discovering the elegance and authenticity of AMO within the heart of T Fondaco dei Tedeschi.”
Creating a diet of delight inside a place of beauty and culture The AMO coffee shop will serve guests throughout the day, beginning with a breakfast of light and colourful pastries, some without wheat flour. Sweets made with extra-virgin olive oil rather than butter and a range of Italian coffee preparations are also on offer  A pastry counter offers single-portion cakes and macarons, as well as savoury options such as gourmet tramezzini (Italian tea-sandwiches), mini-pizzas and a fried cichetto (Venetian-tapas) of the day. Lunch and dinner menus include a wider range of dishes, including raw vegetables, fish and meat; three types of pizza (steamed, oven-baked and pan-fried); and Alajmo classics such as a savory potato cappuccino with Bolognese ragù. “AMO will be sophisticatedly Venetian in nature with subtle notes of irony,” said chef Massimiliano Alajmo (pictured below). “By placing a restaurant with colourful, healthy and cheerful food in the main atrium of T Fondaco dei Tedeschi, we hope to bring visitors together and create a sense of conviviality. Our goal is to serve simple, yet tasty food inside a space of real beauty and culture.”  |
THE MOODIE DAVITT PICTURE GALLERIES OF T FONDACO DEI TEDESCHI BY DFS
[dvgallery id=”156742″ vertical=”no”]
[dvgallery id=”156657″ vertical=”no”]
[dvgallery id=”156720″ vertical=”no”]
NOTE: The Moodie Davitt Report also publishes The Foodie Report, the world’s only media focused on airport (and other travel-related) food & beverage. The company co-organises the annual Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards. The Foodie Report e-Newsletter is published every two weeks and The Foodie Report e-Zine every month.
Please send all news of food & beverage outlet openings, together with images, menus, video etc to Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com to ensure unrivalled global exposure.
The 2017 Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards, hosted by Greater Toronto Airports Authority, will take place in Toronto on 21-23 June.
