Rossana Orlandi – Milan’s most talked about design gallerist – has expanded her empire with the opening of bistRo Aimo e Nadia, which is adjacent to her Magenta-district headquarters.
Revered for her sixth sense in sniffing out undiscovered talent, this latest venture represents a perfect storm of already well-established Milanese creative powerhouses: family-owned fashion house Etro collaborated on the interiors, while two Michelin-starred Luogo di Aimo e Nadia devised the menu.
Flamboyant proof of the design world’s shift towards maximalism, Orlandi’s dining room conjures up equal parts glittering jewellery box and baroque boudoir thanks to the richly patterned presence of Etro’s textiles. A sonorous print clash of brocade banquettes, chinoiserie print and embossed wallpaper, embroidered tapestries, dainty floral sofas from Etro Home and piles of scatter pillows make up the historic fashion house’s brightly coloured contribution. As expected, the interior is generously fitted out with finds from the gallery next door: seating is by Orlandi favourites Jaime Hayon and Nika Zupanc, alongside Jacopo Foggini chandeliers, intricately ornamented Emanuela Crotti mirrors and heavy vintage tables in wood and marble.
The well-edited menu by Fabio Pisani and Alessandro Negrini covers creatively interpreted Italian dishes like risotto carnaroli with zucchini flowers, lunch counter mainstay vitello tonnato reimagined as a tartar, Mantuan-style sweet and sour duck and pappa al pomodoro with baccala, as well as offering breakfast and bar snacks.
With fashion, food and design bases superbly covered, bistRo Aimo e Nadia is nothing less than Milanese to the max.§
