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A cozy restaurant where homey food is cooked, a chef looking at his customers from behind the glass window as the owners walk around the tables to welcome guests and even clean tables when needed. Paper moon is where I had an amazing risotto, awesome spaghetti and succulent desserts.
In 1977 Pio Galligani and his wife Enrica Del Rosso opened the doors to an innovative concept of food and hospitality: in the heart of Milan rose Paper Moon, which soon became a landmark of the city’s dining scene. Since then, the restaurant has become an international crossroad for fashion, business, sports and entertainment personalities.
Today, Enrica and her daughter Stefania follow the path and run the venue with passion and dedication, and under their skilful management a contemporary business approach was taken, in order to extend Pio’s vision throughout the world. From its earliest branch in via Bagutta, Paper Moon’s phenomenal success eventually reached Istanbul in 1996 and made its mark as a trend-setting restaurant and a favorite convergence point for the local and international jet set.
The essential recipe for their success is a combination of exquisite fresh Italian cuisine, an inviting place and extremely careful staff who will serve you the old way, discreetly and attentively, and who will remember your preferences and your tastes. In a nutshell, they're always committed to satisfying their guests.
The restaurant's trademark can now be savored in Qatar with the opening of two venues in Doha. Transposing its house style into a modern key, Paper Moon consistently delivers chic interior design, a calm atmosphere, excellent service, and of course, mouth-watering Italian food across its branches.
Accompanied by our friends from Lebanon, we stepped inside the original restaurant, which they have been visiting for the last 24 years. Simplicity is key, a simple and classy setup, cleanliness and a well balanced menu of Italian specialties.
Lunch started with a plate of focaccia floating in olive oil. Next to that was the bread basket, where I enjoyed the best grissini fingers ever. Extremely crunchy and airy thick toasted bread fingers you can't stop biting into from the minute they arrive to the minute you finish dinner.
I had the asparagus risotto. Oh my God. A phenomenal plate where rice and sauce blend together to make you moan. Afterwards, the spaghetti bottarga; love, I was in love with a plate of pasta. The olive oil added to the plate, the firmness of the spaghetti, the intense saltiness and the finely sliced bottarga. Yum, yum, yum. My wife had the tomato sauce and bacon papardelli which I still remember to date. I'm not sure the chef is not only a chef, but an Italian master. You know his kind of food, it's the sort of cooking that leaves you amazed... Paper Moon it is.
Don't be mistaken by the restaurant's English name because their Italian specialties are hard to find around town. The ambiance, food and service are simply great. We came early and left late witnessing the dozens of customers filling this establishment's two floors.
One of the best things I ate during this trip was at Paper Moon.
