Breaking the mould

At 42,Angeletti has already spent 23 years in the kitchen. Having started at 19 at a “small but renowned” patisserie,Carlì,in the town of Jesi,Angeletti gradually worked his way up,training with chefs like Andrè Jaeger and Yves Thuriès. But as mostly happens,the love for food took root in his early years. “I still remember the flavours and fragrances from my grandmother’s kitchen that would reach me in the stairwell as I would return from school. By 14,I knew I wanted to be a chef,” he recounts,struggling with English every now and then.

The chef’s journey with Le Busche began in 1996 when he joined as the chef de cuisine when it was just opening. The challenge,he says,was to make it work even though the restaurant,owned by a wine manufacturer,was located in an old farmhouse in the midst of a vineyard. As the restaurant became popular,Angeletti bought it over in 2001 and it got its first Michelin Star in 2004 and Angeletti has since worked hard at maintaining it. “I jumped so high in the air when I found out about the Michelin Star,” he laughs.

His strength,he says,lies in experimenting with flavours. And he is right as he surprises us with his signature dish,chickpeas pasta with sweet-sour broccoli. On the chickpeas puree,which forms a grainy base,sit chunks of caramelised sweet-and-sour broccoli,topped with rosemary foam. Independent of each other,the broccoli and the puree may not be exciting but the contrast in the flavours is unusual and impressive. However,it has been kept off the menu as it may not suit the average Indian palate. One of the desserts,coffee and varnelli mousse,is a shot of varnelli (strong anise-flavoured alcohol) served with thick,crusty almond biscotti and anise and coffee-flavoured mousse. Angeletti manages to keep the otherwise extremely-overpowering anise flavour restricted to a mere hint in the mousse. The biscotti,interestingly,is to be dipped in the varnelli shot,which helps soften it and takes away from the strong anise flavour,making it palatable.

However,it is the seafood that remains Angeletti’s biggest strength. The Half-moon potatoes with pesto and calamari sauce are wholesome and bring together multiple textures in harmony. The grilled monkfish with borlotti beans cream allows you to enjoy the flavour of the fish despite it being grilled. Ironically though,Angeletti himself is allergic to seafood and can be often seen popping anti-allergents. “I love seafood too much to stay away from it,” he laughs.

According to the chef,it’s not just the flavours,but also the guest’s interaction with food that defines the dining experience. “I once served a very small portion of oyster and sea bass prepared in eggplant and citrus sauce. The guests were so disappointed at being served such a small portion that they complained. But it was intended as a surprise,and we followed it up with six more dishes,served in small portions. It is the experience that people will remember,” he correctly points out.