The very Milanese restaurant opened in a former railway depot

by Anna Muzio

Where trains once rattled along, a new restaurant with a bar has emerged. It is called Casa Giardino and it is very, very Milanese. In other words, it combines contemporary design with an industrial touch (and resurrects that now bygone past of a working-class city with the smog and sirens of major factories such as Breda, Pirelli and Alfa Romeo, to name a few), a garden of olive trees and palms (because here we have “green DNA”, cit.) and a restaurant and bar with menus good for all seasons.

Railway yards, temporaries and gentrification

The context is the redevelopment of the former Scalo Farini: an area of 362,947 square metres that is supposed to host the Brera student residence, a park and private housing – part of which (the construction site between via Lepontina and via Valtellina, outside the scope of what we are discussing here) was caught up in a major judicial inquiry, in which the magistrates hypothesised disproportionate financial advantages in favour of private interests within the urban regeneration plans.

Inside an abandoned railway warehouse, Claudio Larcher, a Milanese designer and Design Area Leader at NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, has combined the industrial boho chic of the restaurant with a boldly coloured bar with neon lights, following the aesthetic that is most popular at the moment.

The project is part of the Lampo Milano area and was born from the recovery of a 9,000-square-metre covered surface and about 30,000 square metres outdoors, and includes offices, co-working spaces, galleries and exhibition and dining areas – apparently on rotation. Casa Giardino is in fact described as a “temporary”. Among the founders is Fabio Lucarelli, brother of the better-known Selvaggia, who is also co-owner of the cocktail bar Gesto and of Scalo Lambrate (open from 2021 to 2023).

In just a handful of years, Make Loft has passed through here – a restaurant and bar with Asian suggestions (or rather “a refined Asian culinary experience that meets our Mediterranean tradition and a speakeasy that brings the spirit of Cala Maka into a multifunctional contemporary urban space”) – and Martas Nature Bar, a healthy bowls project (read: health-conscious bowls) created by three business partners all named Martina, which has migrated through various locations in the city.

What to eat, what to drink

But what do you eat, and how much do you spend, in this “contemporary osteria” which, not to miss out on anything, is also a pizzeria and a bar with DJs, and is open from breakfast until late in the evening?

First of all, the statement of intent: “We unite the authentic flavours of Italian cuisine with a modern and vibrant atmosphere. Our dishes celebrate tradition, designed to be shared, enjoyed and remembered.”
Which means, for starters: Catalana, Caprese, red prawn carpaccio, Wagyu bresaola with tuna mousse, Cantabrian anchovies, with prices ranging from €16 to €28.

Among the first courses: spaghetti all’assassina with stracciatella, saffron risotto (we are in Milan) with liquorice, tricolour gnocchi (we are still Italian after all), Casa Giardino carbonara (and we also love Roman cuisine, which by the way is all the rage) and pacchero with three tomatoes (if it works at Da Vittorio…). Chateaubriand, fillet steak, ombrina and roasted octopus among the mains. Prices around €20 to €30.

The pizzas range from the Margherita at €14 to the Iberica at €30 (with jamón ibérico, we imagine). A wide choice of desserts, Italian sparkling wines, rosés. Among the drinks: Spritz at €10 and Negroni and Americano at €15. The list of signature cocktails was not available, nor were further details on ownership and opening times, which were requested but not provided.
Care for raw materials and a link with tradition are pillars here, but needless to say.

Another Milanese space, in short, has opened: the only difference is that from the very beginning we are told it will be temporary, so we can already reconcile ourselves with its closure. Before immediately launching into new trendy gastro-adventures.

Casa Giardino, via Valtellina 5, Milano, website