Ineo and the new Roman "dolce vita"

Ineo, means new beginning and it is from the heart that the Eternal City finally relives the atmosphere of the much-loved Roman “dolce vita.” At the helm of the restaurant, chef Heros De Agostinis combines aromas, scents and spices from faraway lands with his Roman imprinting.

Ineo, is the newest restaurant at the Hotel Palazzo Naiadi in Piazza della Repubblica, the first Italian hotel from the prestigious Anantara chain.

The restaurant is very elegant but sober and welcoming, you enter as if in an embrace between soft lights and designer furnishings, among velvets and precious Carrara marble. The first room is the Champagnerie, where looking at the beautiful origami sculptures on the walls you can sip a bubbly while waiting for dinner. Just 28 place settings and very refined mise en place with Limoges porcelain and silver flatware by Christofle. Immediately one feels catapulted into an international atmosphere, but the highly trained and young wait staff takes care to convey the warmth of the all-Italian welcome.

Eating here is an experience: the chef is Heros De Agostinis, Roman by birth but with an international vocation, boasting more than 25 years of experience abroad in multi-starred restaurants and five-star luxury hotels, having worked for a long time alongside the famous chef Heinz Beck, his mentor, and likewise as part of the brigade of great chefs such as Joel Robuchon, Heinz Winkler and Marc Veyrat. His cuisine is a metissage that combines aromas, scents and spices from distant lands with his Roman imprinting forged among the stalls of the Esquilino market in Rome’s Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, the city’s most multi-ethnic neighborhood.

There are two seven-course tasting menus, one completely plant-based. The menu is intriguing with bold combinations, tempting dishes, sometimes exotic, but all bringing back a quid of tradition as a fil rouge with the city.

My dinner itinerary began with an homage to chicken. Served in an amuse-bouche sequence that revisited it in different textures, starting with a chicken broth with gnocchetti alla romana, served in a coffee cup; a mini Cesar-salad revisited with lettuce jelly; very thin chicken skin chips; and finally a creamy chicken cacciatore bon-bon with black olives and wine vinegar. Good and fun.

The dish I perhaps enjoyed the most was the Crudo of Sicilian red shrimp on a mandarin ceviche with tarragon oil and Lucanian crusco bell pepper. Next was the Cremoso di fegato grasso d’Anatra with red fruits and spices nicely paired with a Verduzzo di Ramandolo.

On the first there was a beautiful homage to Roman cuisine: the Fagottelli al Sugo di Coda alla Vaccinara, an explosion of flavor where the raviolo filling invades brightening the palate with every bite. The dish is accompanied by a small taco with a very thin julienne of celery and carrot that refreshes by winking at South America.

Two main courses tasted, the Saltimbocca that becomes however of Black Cod with Vin Jaune sauce and the Saddle of Roe Deer with Cauliflower, Raisins and Capers. A delicacy.

We end on a sweet note with a very delicate Yogurt, Green Apple and Red Turnip Parfait, a dessert so well made and balanced that it leaves one stunned by its texture and mouthwateringness.

The Bread Cart, all strictly homemade, delicious and fragrant, deserves a note of its own. From breadsticks, to Lariano, from ciriole to butter buns: a one-of-a-kind triumph.

The wine cellar is overlooking the room, well-stocked and beautiful even to look at. The labels range from the most emblazoned names in French to Italian oenology but also touch on regional excellences that go well with chef Heros’ multi-ethnic dishes.

I was really very impressed by this all-around gastronomic experience, where the orchestral playing of the dining room and kitchen expressed all their skills and professionalism with a class and mastery with an exclusive flavor, in perfect Anantara style.