Ristorante Conca Bella, Vacallo/Chiasso
Conca Bella has made a conscious decision to bid farewell to the world of gourmet cuisine. Not to cook less sophisticated dishes – but to inspire more people with gastronomy that combines quality with levity. Some things haven’t changed though: the love for detail, the high-quality products, and a culture of wine which is famous far beyond Ticino.
Top quality – without any gimmicks
For several decades, the Conca Bella was one of the best-known gourmet destinations in Ticino. Until recently, it was adorned with 17 GaultMillau points and a Michelin star. In 2017, however, the owners, the Montereale family, decided to embark a new path: rather than offering haute cuisine, to choose a greater sense of openness. Today, the Conca Bella is Ticino’s first ever wine hotel. The heart of the hotel is its historic wine cellar, which boasts more than 1,100 labels from Ticino, Italy, and all over the world.
The menu features seasonal dishes that are cooked using local ingredients, given a contemporary twist, and prepared with great skill. The success of this concept is also evident in the car park: Alongside license plates from Ticino, those from the neighboring country to the south are also often to be seen.
What do the guests order, what does the chef love?
As a starter, the chef goes for tagliatelle with saffron, marinated Swiss salmon, crisp cucumber, smoked San Gottardo butter, and lemon zest. This is followed by eggplant schnitzel Milanese style, with smoked eggplant cream, roast sweet potatoes and chili mayonnaise.
"The guests’ preferences seem to change pretty regularly," says the chef. At present, they especially like to start with the swordfish tataki with fried peach, crispy kohlrabi strips, citrus broth and pistachios. As a main course, the rib-eye steak from the local butcher, Valsangiacomo, is currently the most popular, served with zucchini sautéed in butter and onions, roast potatoes and gravy. So that means just one decision remains to be taken: Will the wine be red or white?
