Host Restaurant in Fiumicino (Rome), Italy

Posted by Rowena Dumlao - Giardina 5/25/2017

Host Restaurant in Fiumicino (Rome), Italy

Walking around the corner space of the apartment building and looking through the big windows, my attention was riveted to the accumulating number of tables and chairs inside. My guess was right. Indeed, a restaurant is taking shape in there. Coming around the corner again days later, I finally entered the finished Host Restaurant. It was spotless with the smell of new wood lightly permeating the room. Planks of wood give the white ceiling a nice accent while the windows give a lot of space for the natural light to stream inside. It is crisply decorated with simple refinement of white, gray and black motif.

Leaving the decision to Chef Alessandro Capponi and to the availability of his fresh ingredients, opting for the six-dish fish menu tasting (a vegan version is also available) gave me a window of understanding the concept of his kitchen. A string of beautifully well-prepared dishes arrived, always a surprise to the palate and smell for the choice of flavor combinations. It was a wonderful gastronomic discovery in Fiumicino where quality and takes center stage.

A few days later, I was back for a quick lunch ordered from the fixed menu. As was the first time, the dishes showed a consistency of elaboration of work and excellence. Apart from the entries in the menu, Alessandro proposes other entries based on the seafood catch of the day. He maintains freshness and quality and he always follows what are in season, including the fish.

From left to right: Mirko Proietto, Alessandro Capponi and Totie Beñagale

Chef Alessandro Capponi had an extensive kitchen experience in the Roman gastronomic scene. His biggest mentor had been Chef Giovanni Fella, whom he worked with for a long time at Ristorante L'Uliveto in Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria in Rome. With him, Alessandro was able to perfect his educational and practical formation in the kitchen. With this fundamental experience, he managed the Rainbow Cafè in Rome for three years where he maintained a cuisine that respects the usage of seasonal kilometer zero ingredients. From those formative years, he decided to start his own restaurant and called it Host. Along with him in the kitchen are Totie Beñagale and Mirko Proietto.

Fiore di zucca parmigiana e scamorza (Zucchini blossom parmigiana and scamorza cheese)

Gamberetti in kataifi, melone e maionese di soia (Shrimp in kataifi, melon and soy mayonnaise)

Host is just a couple of months old. Still very young but with a promise of a big world of sensory experiences. Whether you are a seafood lover, vegan or vegetarian, there's something special waiting for you in the kitchen. The menu is also designed to cater to people with food intolerance and food allergies. Wines come a selected few of Italian producers from all over Italy while there are also some artisan beers to choose from.

Niente succede per caso! Quando, durante gli ultimi anni di liceo, mia madre ha iniziato a lavorare ho dovuto imparare a cucinare. Ho iniziato da una semplice pasta al pomodoro fresco e basilico e lì nella cucina della mia infanzia, prima per necessità e poi per curiosità ho iniziato a muovermi tra i fornelli e a sperimentare. E' così che è nata la mia passione che mi ha portato ad aprire HOST.

-Alessandro Capponi

Nothing happens by chance! When, during the last years of high school, my mother started working, I had to learn to cook. I started from a simple pasta with fresh tomato sauce and basil and there in the kitchen of my childhood, first by necessity and then for curiosity, I started to move between the stoves and experiment. That's how my passion was born that led me to open HOST.

-Alessandro Capponi (translated to English)