L'Acciuga in Perugia, The Contemporary Italian Kitchen of Chef Marco Lagrimino That Defines Quality

Posted by Rowena Dumlao - Giardina 1/09/2024

L'Acciuga in Perugia, The Contemporary Italian Kitchen of Chef Marco Lagrimino That Defines Quality

The first thing you ask yourself when you arrive outside Ristorante L'Acciuga is if you are in the right address. Located in a commercial area surrounded by furniture shops and car dealerships, in the outskirts of Perugia, the Michelin-starred restaurant can be easily reached with the availability of parking all around the structure.

However, once you step inside the restaurant, the path takes you to a rustic elegant ambience with wood and neutral tones highlighted by a touch of modernity or two. It's the kind of place that takes your hand, sits you down and promises you that your dining experience will reverberate what you see around you. The kitchen is the main essence of every home like how the open kitchen is centrally focused at L'Acciuga. Friendly to set the tone of the place, precision to underline the service and refined to level with the food that is served.

L'Acciuga was founded by a trio of young entrepreneurs from Perugia namely Simone Farinelli, Luca and Giovanni Caputo in 2018. Their objective was to create a place where the fundamentality of quality and zero kilometer ingredients reigns in the food. The kitchen has been handled by Chef Marco Lagrimino since 2020, who has taken the Michelin star to the restaurant in 2021. The star he received was not only the pride of the restaurant but also extends throughout the city because it was actually the very first one that Perugia ever received.

The cuisine can be defined as contemporary Italian with strong emphasis on the territory and seasonality of raw materials produced locally. A deep interest in the world of local vegetables and aromatic herbs exemplifies creations developed with the skillful techniques that he has developed from his travels around the world. Freshwater crustaceans and fish come from the Umbrian lake of Trasimeno while the rest of the fish come from both from the fishing ports of Terracina and Sardinia. The meat are from Umbria itself, as well as from the neighboring region of Tuscany.

Support in the dining area is provided by Marco's wife, maître d'hôtel and sommelier Nadia Moller, who has always been working in the dining room alongside him even from his experiences abroad. With her professionality and efficiency, L'Acciuga is able to soar high with the great balance between the kitchen and the dining room. A list of more than 500 wines ranging from regional, national and international with a notable presence of biodynamic ones, is the creation of one of the owners, Luca Caputo. Having known the cooking of the chef for years, Nadia has the capacity to put wine or cocktails and the dishes together, making the association of flavors complementary to each other.

Chef Marco Lagrimino

Marco Lagrimino was born in 1985 in Viterbo, a town in the neighboring province of Lazio. After his studies in the scuola alberghiera (hotel school), he embarked on a multitude of experiences in Italy and abroad namely those of London at Nobu Berkeley Street, Sketch of Pierre Gagnaire, Dinner of Heston Blumenthal and Modern Pantry as sous chef of Anna Hansen. Back in Italy, he worked in Florence with Vito Mollica at the Four Seasons, Entiana Osmenzeza at Gurdulù and lastly, Castello di Volpaia.

The Menu

L’Acciuga offers two kinds of tasting menus: the To Know Us with 8 courses at €80; and To Trust Us with 10 courses at €95, both including the welcome aperitif, appetizers, first courses, main, pre-dessert, dessert and petit four. À la carte options, with names pertaining to the main two ingredients of the dishes, are between €25 to €27 for the appetizers and first courses of pasta and risotto; €37 to €40 for the main course; and €15 for the desserts.