Even though Christmas and New Year are traditionally times for indulgence, my food philosophy remains the same, concentrating on the five pillars of innovation, well-being, ingredients, flavor and art,” says Fabio Ciervo, executive chef of Hotel Eden in Rome.
This is the first holiday period for The Dorchester Collection’s “new-look Hotel Eden,” closed for 17 months until April 1. During the closure, Ciervo traveled and spent time with Thomas Keller in the USA and Heston Blumenthal in England. Now he has a sensational new all-induction kitchen, and he and his team of 30 have refined their approach – a master’s in nutrition at the University of Parma has shown him the science of how bodies react (“carrots and tomatoes are among the vegetables that are better cooked,” he shared).
“My philosophy is go fresh. Every day, Sunday through Friday, we telephone suppliers at 6 p.m. for delivery early the next day” – Friday’s order is double as Rome’s suppliers have Sundays off. “Our menus are much simpler, too.” Results include food costs being about 2.5% down on pre-closure, and main meal covers are up 40%, with customer satisfaction raised 23%.
Including breakfast, the kitchen produces about 500 meals a day, of which 65% are to people not staying in the 98-room hotel. Both restaurants are on the rooftop of the six-floor building. The dinner-only, 44-seat gourmet La Terrazza gained a Michelin star in 2012, two years after Ciervo’s arrival.
The adjacent all-day Il Giardino Ristorante & Bar has indoor and outdoor sections, with a living olive tree in in the center of the terrace – Il Giardino’s gourmet pizzas, the dough enlivened with vitamins, include a signature with Piennolo cherry tomatoes, rocket, Parma ham and 30-month aged Parmigiano-Reggiano (there is also a big vegan section, say mezzi rigatoni alla Norma with tofu).
“We have more and more customers with allergies,” Ciervo admitted. “What first-time diners quickly understand, however, is that everything from my kitchen, whether gluten-free or no-allergy, is clean food. You are not going to find 12 ingredients, but rather two or three prime-condition items perfectly cooked. The same is true of our breakfast buffet, where I prefer to display a small selection of right-today fruits to a bigger display.”
Good food is win-win, for revenue and for guests, although at New Year, not surprisingly, some good intentions will be temporarily cast aside. On Sunday December 31, La Terrazza’s six course menu, sold out weeks ago, includes cod with white truffle, braised beef with black truffle, and dark chocolate sphere with hazelnut ganache and chocolate snow – but the price, €950 (US$1,120) includes Laurent-Perrier Champagne and six wines, all Italian.
Ciervo recalls that as a youngster he ate as much protein as he could. “I wanted to be a professional gymnast. Now, at Hotel Eden, I have tastings all day and evening long and I must admit I breakfast merely on black coffee and porridge, with soya milk and no sugar. I picked up porridge in England when cooking with Heston Blumenthal. OK, I know it is all wrong, everyone should have a proper breakfast and I am not practising what I preach. I will change my ways – perhaps as a New Year resolution,” he promised with a characteristic grin.