Newcomer Cugini has managed to make its mark quickly in a city already full of Italian restaurants. What are their secrets? The Nomad Quynh went to find out.

In Italian, Cugini means “Cousins”, and if you are familiar with the Hà Nội food scene, this name might ring a bell. Yes, Cugini is a popular Western restaurant with a few branches already established in the city. Following this success, their owners have teamed up with Chef Nico Ceccomoro to open Cugini, with the intention of bringing a fresh take of Italian bistronomy—casual fine dining—to Hà Nội food lovers.

Tucked away in a small quiet lane on Tô Ngọc Vân Street in the expat area of Tây Hồ, the restaurant was hard for us to find at first as the street numbers around here are not exactly organized. In the end, we finally made it thanks to the instructions on their Facebook page, which mention that the site is “in front of Công Đoàn Hotel”.

Upon arriving, the grand building with deep red brick walls and a white balcony, surrounded by luscious green trees, immediately caught our eyes. A smiley waitress quickly showed us where to park our vehicle, and then graciously ushered us to the second floor where our reserved table was.

It was a cold winter night, and we were happy to be seated next to a cosy fireplace. I also noticed their lovely balcony outside which would be perfect on a warmer evening. The interior of the restaurant is filled with black wooden furniture and red-and-white tiles that match the colours of the plates and napkins, giving it a classy yet homey feel.

My companion and I were offered a look at the menu. The usual suspects of pasta, pizza are available next to mouth-watering seafood and meat choices for main courses. Of course, there is no lack of options for starters and salads either.

We decided to first choose an antipasto, Italian for appetiser, of mixed wild mushroom paté, truffle oil, rocket salad and cherry tomatoes served on rustic brioche bread (VNĐ100,000), which was brought to us soon after a generous portion of complimentary bread and basil tomato sauce. This was a good choice for a starter – the mushroom was expertly mixed into a smooth paté, while the added truffle oil brought more richness to the taste and the slightly grilled brioche was the perfect base.

For the main courses, we opted for Tonno Grigliato, which is a 180-gram wood-grilled tuna steak served with asparagus, eggplant and other vegetables (VNĐ290,000). We also ordered the Agnello Scottadito, which is 250 grams of wood-grilled milk lamb chops, artichoke tempura and buttered green beans (VNĐ550,000).

The two dishes were brought out at the same time, both beautifully presented. My companion is a tuna fan and totally approved of his dish. The steak was nicely seared on the outside, maintaining its interior softness and freshness, while the accompanying grilled vegetables not only added balance to the whole taste but also dutifully served their decorative purpose.