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Reviewed by Jesse
Andrews and Dario Aubin Photographer, VisitsItaly.com
Walking through the doors of
Nove restaurant, can be a surreal
experience for those visiting
Florence for the first time or
for those who have fallen in love
with the city and have lived
here for years. Nove is a
Florentine favourite and draws
Tuscans from all over the
region.
Nove is right across from the
Arno river, a very easy walk
from most hotels in Florence. In
the spring and summer, the
restaurant has a beautiful
terrace adorned by shimmering
lights and Tuscan shrubbery
where it is easy to pass hours
sipping some of Tuscany' best
red vintages.
Inside the doors of Nove, deap shades of mahogany, amber and
violet make up Nove's sublime
color pallet and the soft and
delicate lighting create an
intimate and fun atmosphere that
has kept both young and old
Florentines coming back to enjoy
the stylish and sophisticated
decor in addition to the
creative and fresh cuisine.
The young and creative chef
Damiano who heads Nove's
kitchen, uses both traditional
Tuscan cooking techniques and
brings precision, elegance and
creativity into every dish on
Nove's menu.
In Damiano's kitchen,
nothing is compromised.
Every ingredient in every dish
is controlled and held to the
strictest standard of freshness.
Taking a glance around the
kitchen there is evidence of the
artist's trade everywhere.
From the fresh herbs still in
dirt, to swordfish laying on the
counter like it had literally
just been caught (150 km from
the sea in Florence), the
kitchen at Nove with all of its
stainless steel appliances,
seemed like a virtual fish and
vegetable market, everything
spotlessly clean and gleaming.
Every night for Damiano must be
carefully orchestrated with the
timing of each dish sometimes
coming down to the second.
Nothing is left to chance.
The presentation of each dish is
truly a work of art on to its
own. At first I was nervous
that the photos would not do the
dishes’ presentation or flavour
justice, but within a few
seconds, I became naturally
inspired and tried to reflect in
the photos not only what I saw
and smelled but the Chef’s
passion as his art was displayed
on the pure white porcelain
plates shaped like a painter’s
pallete.
The salamander was heating up
to braise the halibut while the
water was beginning to boil the
hand made pasta, the fresh tuna
was being carefully sliced to
serve raw on the bed of greens
and the variety of sauces were
also beginning their journey to
be thickened to be elegantly
painted or poured on to their
respective dishes. It takes a
great amount of concentration to
ensure each dish is served at
its peek, knowing that if this
balance is not achieved; the
Chef would have to start all
over. There is not a second of
down time in this busy kitchen
because with five hundred dishes
being served on busy nights,
every second counts.
The ingredients are as fresh as
possible as mentioned earlier
but something I learned that one
may not know, unless they asked
of course, that the Black Cod,
one of Nove’s most popular
dishes (and after tasting it, I
now know why), is flown into
Florence from Alaska specially
at the Chef’s request. The
owners of Nove know that the
food is what keeps customers
coming back and if it takes
flying in fish half way around
the world to serve the best,
then that is exactly what they
will do.
Now not all ingredients need to
be flown in, take for instance
the beef. The 50-kilogram side
of beef, something the
Florentines farmers are famous
for, was perched atop the
butcher block lay waiting to be
carved into any size that is
ordered because nothing on the
menu is carved, cooked or
prepared until ordered.
Although your steak can be
ordered in the traditional
medium-rare fashion, Florentine
Chef’s prefer to let the taste
of the organic beef come out by
searing both sides of the beef
and leaving the centre rare in
the middle so you can fully
appreciate its natural flavour.
You won’t find steak like this
anywhere else in Italy, so I
say, when in Florence, do as the
Florentines do…and order the
bistecca rare.
If “turf” is not something you
crave then Nove has wide variety
of “surf” on the menu, as in,
shrimp, scallops, clams, tuna,
salmon, scampi, halibut,
calamari and more if you can
believe it! You can have an
Antipasti, Primi and Secondi
plates and not have the same
seafood twice. The Antipasti
selection is a “misti” (mix) of
traditional Tuscan favorites,
Asian and Southwestern
influenced dishes as well. You
can try the Chef’s version of
salmon carpacio with wasabi or
sea bass with jalapenos if you
are feeling exotic. Whatever
you choose though, all are sure
to please. I recommend as a
Primi piati the scampi on the
bed of linguini. The whimsical
presentation will make you smile
and the taste will have you
wanting more! As a Secondi
piatti, you would be negligent
in not trying the Alaskan Black
Cod, even if you have had it
before, you have not had it at
Nove, a truly five star plate.
I assure anyone who makes a
reservation at Nove, that
there is something on their
extensive menu to
satisfy and inspire your taste
buds. As with many things in
life, once you've had the best
its difficult to go back and
like the city of Florence
itself, Nove will most certainly
leave an indelible impression on
you for years to come.
For
information or to reserve:
Email
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