Osteria Miranda’s challenge in Lucca

This by Giulio Gurgugli appears almost like a challenge to the world of catering and to our palate, a continuous provocation launched with passion and professionalism.

Lucca is certainly one of the best-preserved cities in Tuscany, but perhaps one can also say in Italy, that still maintain a style and elegance from the glorious times of our peninsula. The charm of the architecture, the artistic and monumental riches make this city an open-air museum that can be discovered alley by alley, letting the beauty guide you. 

Of all the wonders to see, surely the City Walls represent perhaps the best example of Renaissance fortification, although I believe they were never used for that purpose. More than 4 kilometers long and adorned with wonderful plants, they are the ideal walk delighted by the cool shadows and sea breezes that provide this city with a truly enviable climate. The idea of turning these grim fortifications into a pedestrian path was Luisa of Bourbon in the early 1800s. 

Just below the Walls, near Porta Santa Maria, is a restaurant where some talented young people have launched their challenge to the world of catering and hospitality. It is called Osteria Miranda, furnished in a sophisticated way but without overdoing it and without making the environment cold and detached, but rather almost looking for an "old world" where they can experiment and amaze.

The beating heart of this restaurant is Giulio Gurgugli, a young man from Pistoia who, after years of experience among some of Italy's most sought-after kitchens (Arnolfo, Combal Zero, etc.), has decided to transform his world into dishes that range from traditional recipes to tantalizing games of combinations and flavors. Behind each dish one could say there is almost a philosophical concept, often aimed at forcing the taster into an exercise of interpretation and discovery. Raw materials are never used at random, but always to discover games of balance and exaltation of the raw material. It is a gymnasium for the palate because often under the guise of a fruit can hide unthinkable ingredients.

The restaurant's menu opens with a provocation by Giulio, which I quote because it will help to better understand the list of dishes: "...I bit into Tradition...And I spit out a kernel of Avant-garde..." 

The course that our young chef offers together with his sous chef Lorenzo Chirimischi is titled "A Caccia nel Paradiso," with nine courses ranging from a Mackerel, coffee and milk, Sorana beans and onion soup; then moving on to a Grilled Chicken, cacio e pepe, coconut and almonds; then continues with Risotto, white turnip, BBQ oyster and citron; but again with Florentine-style Pigeon Ravioli celeriac and artichokes; followed by Animella, formenton polenta, apple and braised radicchio; The final dessert is an Eclair, white chocolate, pistachio and raspberry. 

But even choosing from the menu, there are many surprises: Conchiglioni alla pizzaiola, cooked and raw seafood, caviar; Mezzelune, roasted eggplant, smoked provolone and mint; Risotto, chanterelle mushrooms, suckling pig pluma and saffron, just to name a few starters. Then Nuggets of veal brain and rubra sauce or Crispy Millefoglie of sea bream, radish and bagna cauda. In short, there is only to indulge in the choice and you will not be disappointed if you are willing to put aside all prejudices.

I believe that these simple lists give insight into the endless interplay of sensory complications from the beginning to the end of the meal. It is impossible to describe this gustatory journey as it would surely be reductive and unrepresentative of the palatal emotions one is subjected to.

Young chefs recounting their experiences with passion and professionalism represent an infinite wealth for the enormous national gastronomic heritage, and so we can only applaud these experiments and new openings.

Osteria Miranda
Via dei Carrozzieri, 27
Angolo via della Cavallerizza
55100 Lucca (LU)
Tel. +39 0583 171 5943
osteriamiranda@gmail.com
Friday-Saturday-Sunday-Monday-Tuesday
Lunch: h.12:15-14:15
Dinner: h. 19:15-22:15
Wednesday and Thursday closed

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