Fermento — Restaurant in Camogli

The guy in charge is wild. Hear me out because this might be a good thing. I’m standing looking at the menu waiting to get a seat or at least ask for one. Everyone ignores me walking past. 5 times. 6 times. 7 times! That’s ok they are busy and I wasn’t bothered or in a rush. Well to be honest only half the seats were occupied. I get a chance to ask “Gordon Ramsey” if there is a space and he just says “No” rudely. I was a little surprised and confused so I asked him to repeat what he said in case I misheard him. While sniffing his nose and itching it he leans in very aggressively and says, ”We have nothing for you”. Still confused I asked, “Ok, Do I need a reservation?” Still itching his nose and sniffing he said in what seemed like an upset tone, “10 minutes”. I said ok thank you and he just gave me such a weird look as I left. Did I Jedi mind trick him into giving me a seat? Or was he being nice? I was so confused! It was kind of exhilarating and if there was a donation box I would have tipped 2 euros just for that experience. Asking such a simple question and getting such a theatrical performance for free just felt wrong. Well I’ve worked in enough restaurants to know the type of restaurant manager he is so I am guessing the food is probably awesome! I will go back when I’m a little more prepared for the vibe...

We had a great time here. Menu is not big and divided interestingly into seafood, meat and vegetables. I would call it a fusion restaurant except perhaps I will be thrown out of Italy for saying that. Anyway, there are ‘foreign influences’ in the dishes. We have Umami bomb which paired miso w fish roe in pasta. Interesting. Pork belly in purple cabbage sauce is delicious and does not have overcooked cabbage taste. Octopus - the tomato sauce and tomatoes wow! Ingredients are fresh and local. Portions are moderate, not big. Collection of wine good. I had a bottle of white from a Ligurian/Tuscan vineyard. Interesting. Service was great. Friendly, informative but not pushy. If you want to try local wines definately come here. The wine ‘cellar’ display area is eye catching. Seating mostly outdoors, by the Main Street and is perfect to see how Camogli wind down after a hot summer day. Note this restaurant has no sea view. But I came for the food and wine so...

Foodies, listen up. This was the best dining experience I've had in Italy. Tl;dr: Just make a reservation. We spent a few days each in Florence and Tuscany and have had excellent meals, but Fermento will be one of the highlights of our two week trip, I have no doubt. It's a more modern experience, BUT the ~75-year old British couple next us were back for a third visit, so it clearly cators to those who appreciate an exquisite menu and wine pairings. Our culinary guide, Maximilian, helped pair wine with each of our courses (one dish from each of the fish, meat, pasta, veggie and dessert sections). We had the braised leek, catch of the day (leche? similar to tuna), miso bomb pasta, venison and the tart dessert and were thrilled with each choice. Bravo to both chefs and the rest of the team for delivering such an amazing,...