Contraste — Restaurant in Milan

I wish I was writing a positive review about Contraste since it was awarded Michelin, but unfortunately, it was extremely disappointing. I went here with my wife to celebrate her birthday while on vacation. The atmosphere is basically a single room with white walls, old wooden floors, one large painting and the red octopus-like chandelier you see in pictures.

On to the food - since we were in Italy eating Italian food everyday, we wanted something unique so we selected the riflessoni option. As I understand it, this a combination of familiar flavours with unusual pairings to create a conceptual experience. Well, unusual is the key word with this. I’m not that critical usually, but I have to admit that only 2 out of the 19 dishes served actually tasted good. Now I know we chose this option so I can’t blame anyone but myself. While there may have been a language barrier, it was tough understanding what ingredients they were saying each dish contained. I also found it strange that since this was a conceptual experience, they never mentioned the purpose or intent of what each dish was or what they were trying to achieve holistically with them. It was all very odd.

Service - The service was decent. All staff dress in the same grey suit and try to time the delivery of food and discarding of dishes in sync. They were attentive.

Aftermath - Although we were disappointed with the overall experience, I understand this can happen and no expensive dinner is guaranteed to be to your liking. However, when paying this amount, I do expect quality and service. About 3 hours after our dinner, my wife and I began to feel ill. We realized we got food poisoning from the dinner and this continued for the next 2 days. Since we had 19 dishes, we can’t say which one(s) lead to this, but neither of us have any food allergies so this was unexpected and unacceptable. Not expecting anything, I contacted Contraste to inform them about our illness and to be aware that this could happen to other customers as well,, but have not heard any response after 2 weeks. This turned from what was supposed to be a special and memorable dinner for my wife to a regrettable experience and ruined the end of our vacation to Milan. For a $600 meal for 2 people, I’d advise to save your money and...

This restaurant boasts creative and entertaining ideas transformed into dishes. The impressive theme featured various hand-expressed emotions. Not only did the food tantalize my taste buds, but I also enjoyed speculating about how each dish was crafted. To create each form, the chef utilized diverse ingredients and colors. Overall, the incorporation of cheese added a rich and creamy flavor, while the textures alternated between firm and soft in each course. The noodle-based dish mimicked the chewiness of clams, and the broths were savory. Encasing mussels in a soft cheese and finishing with pepper foam made the dish enjoyable even for those unaccustomed to spicy food. Each dish's plating complemented the plate's design, and the dessert's presentation evoked excitement, much like opening a secret box. The final bread and ice cream were a fitting conclusion, particularly the exceptional ice cream. The staff were courteous and enthusiastic when explaining the appetizers. However, I questioned the professionalism when the first staff member placed the amuse-bouche, only for other staff to reposition it. Unlike other Michelin-starred restaurants, this establishment did not offer adjusted menus or portions for children, which was disappointing. The restaurant's interior exuded a modern, simple ambiance, and entering through the gate and passing a small garden felt like entering a home.

We were told children were allowed, so we went with our child — but there were no adjustments to the menu or course structure to accommodate kids at all. Our child only received two courses and refused to eat anything after that, so we declined the rest of the service for them. Despite this, we were charged full price.

If we had known in advance that it wouldn’t be suitable for children, we would have chosen a different Michelin-starred restaurant. It’s really disappointing, and the more I think about it, the more I regret...

Possibly, the worst dinner I’ve had in my life and I’ve been to many restaurants and am pretty well travelled.

First of all, if you can’t speak Italian, this might not be the place for you. All the reviews of staff being attentive is not true, it seemed to be so for the Italian speaking tables but we didn’t receive the same treatment. In fact for two of our courses the staff said they forgot how to say it in English. One of the items was “vanilla ice cream”, which I feel is really quite basic for a one Michelin star staff to know how to say in English. Some courses we didn’t even get a introduction to what we were eating or just a mumble of one sentence. For a restaurant that’s trying to be quirky and creative, if I can’t tell what I’m eating when it looks like a strawberry - but isn’t, it’s dampens the whole experience.

Going past the language barrier which I understand may not be an issue for some, the food itself was not good. Some of it was quite unpalatable. The plating was lacklustre, temperature of the food didn’t go well with the dishes. The courses from 1 to finish didn’t flow well and felt extremely haphazard. The tastes were extremely contrasting (maybe that’s the intention?) Towards the end I actually felt quite nauseated. I’ve never wanted to reject another course before. Sometimes you’re too full, but in this case it was just so bad you didn’t want to eat more. But the fact that you paid top dollar for it made you stay.

The least you can do for any restaurant is make your food good. The donut and desserts were alright, but if I wanted a Ragu and pastries id just go next door.

Location was also pretty far and out of the way. Truly seems a place better for locals who might be looking for a “creative” restaurant. If you’re happy to sacrifice taste for creativity, then this is your place. But really, I would definitely give this place a pass. I don’t understand the good reviews at all. Very...