Travel tales: Guy Grossi on why Rome is ‘the best city in the world’

Italian cuisine is more than just sustenance – it’s an experience. It’s a sensory delight to be shared and enjoyed, preferably over multiple hours surrounded by family and friends, and maybe featuring a bottle of grappa or two.

Australian-Italian chef Guy Grossi was raised on this social diet, now infused in the menus of all his restaurants, including Melbourne mecca Florentino on Bourke Street, Garum at The Westin Perth and Settimo at The Westin Brisbane.

Garum's Roman-inspired menu is designed for sharing.

It fuels his global travels too, recently to the fair city of Verona and the one capital he rates above all others: Rome, where a bucket list item was ticked off entirely by accident.

What are some of your favourite food travel memories?

The simplest are often the best. I remember once travelling through Venice – I had my mum and my wife and two very young kids at the time – and we bought some bread from a local bakery, some fresh stracchino cheese next door sat on a park bench, watching the scenery.

That was our lunch for the day and it was the most exquisite experience. The company and just laughing; being in this surreal environment eating the freshest cheese and crusty bread that had virtually just come out of the oven.

Where have you travelled recently and what surprised you about the trip?

Recently I returned from a trip to Vinitaly [international wine competition] in Verona with my son. We had the pleasure of also travelling up to Trentino-Alto Adige, which is in far northern Italy.

It’s a very different part of Italy. Basically their first language in this area is German; they’re quite Germanic in their style and their wines, very clean and beautiful. And their food also. We had a wonderful time in some of the trattorias and cafes around the towns.

Have any of your signature dishes been inspired by your adventures?

A lot of our cooking leans on tradition. I like to talk about the two territories that we cook from: the one our parents left behind and the one we’re lucky enough to be part of right here.

Our osso buco is inspired by being overseas and travelling. We have a beautiful calamari dish too, which is filled with its own tentacles, bread crumbs and peas – steamed and served with a luscious tomato. I guess that’s inspired by somewhere like the markets of Venice.

Settimo's menu is a celebration of Australian and Italian food culture.

The dishes we do have to have a sort of passport to them, they need a postcode. They can’t just be a concoction of ingredients thrown on a plate that doesn’t relate to where we came from in some way.

Are there any standout restaurants or dishes you always return to?

Rome has some of my favourite restaurants, like Al Moro, which is very old school and the food is just exquisite. Another is Armando al Pantheon – an amazing restaurant which has been run by the same family for many years. It’s difficult to get into but worth the wait.

If you’re looking for the best carbonara in Rome, that’s where you’re going to get it!

Al Moro is a regular haunt of chef Guy Grossi.

What’s one dish that always makes you think of travel?

Pretty much all food that excites me makes me think of the country of origin and where it came from.

For example, I braised a goat just yesterday, which I’m going to serve today in the restaurant and it made me think of Campania, the south of Italy and around Puglia, where my dad was from. He was from Carosino in Taranto, where they do that sort of long, slow cooking.

What’s your favourite gourmet destination in Australia and why?

Melbourne CBD is definitely one of the places I like to come into, even on my days off, and enjoy the great restaurants that we have here. Places like Gimlet and Di Stasio.

Gimlet from chef Andrew McConnell is a perennial Melbourne favourite.

If we’re talking rural, I love to head to Daylesford and Lake House. Alla and her family have been doing a fantastic job and have really put that place on the map over the last 30-odd years. That area is now a real food hub.

You’ve got Chauncy – Louis and Tess, who used to work here, are doing wonderful things nearby in Heathcote. Trentham’s a fabulous place also for food: there are some great restaurants around the place. Winespeake wine bar is excellent.

The iconic Lake House in Daylesford: hotel, restaurant and spa.

If I’m over in Perth, I always jump down to Margaret River. It is a sensational location for great restaurants, great food and of course fantastic wineries. The Brisbane scene is also really vibrant.

And internationally?

It would be remiss of me if I didn’t mention Rome, my favourite and probably the best city in the world. It is energetic, exciting and next to none. It’s just so vibrant and the people just really know how to live, enjoy themselves and have a great time.

I was so lucky to spend a couple of days there on this trip. It was so exciting because it was during Easter. On Sunday my son and I went to the Vatican and took mass delivered by the Pope.

Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City.

That was one to tick off the bucket list – something I never would have planned for, but which was so amazing.

Where to next?

I’m going to Tokyo for a couple of days, because I absolutely love Tokyo. The quality of produce and their culture and the way they execute, whether it’s European or Japanese. The pastry shops are beautiful.

After that, Copenhagen for a couple of nights and across to Italy, where we’re going to Puglia. I don’t think I’ve done it justice in visiting it enough over the years. We plan to do a bit of the Amalfi Coast, and I will definitely make it to Rome and Milan.