We met with Enrico Crippa, Chef of the three-Michelin-starred Piazza Duomo in Italy, to find out more about his culinary journey and his new restaurant at Raffles Doha – ALBA by Enrico Crippa.

When did you first realise that you wanted to become a chef?
When I was a child, my grandfather was the person in the family who cooked the most. He always went to the local market, brought ingredients home and would always try something different. All the time he was showing me new ways of cooking. So, I realised I wanted to be a chef, like him. He was my hero.

You launched Gualtiero Marchesi’s restaurant in Japan. Your three-Michelin-starred restaurant Piazza Duomo – one of the 50 best restaurants in the world – is in Italy. Why did you choose Qatar for your next culinary adventure?
We – Head Chef Antonino D’Alessi and I – didn’t choose Qatar. Qatar chose us. And it was the right moment. We always receive a lot of requests to open restaurants outside Italy. But we haven’t felt comfortable with this before now. Then I turned 50 a couple of years ago, Piazza Duomo was going really well and we were ready to do something new, to explore something different and to take on a new challenge. We were sure that opening a new restaurant in Doha with an incredible hotel – Raffles Doha – was the right thing to do and a great challenge for us.

What inspired the restaurant’s name?
First of all, Alba is the home of Piazza Duomo. Secondly, alba means ‘sunrise’, but also ‘new beginning’, which is what we are doing here at Alba. And then there are the truffles. The town of Alba is in the foothills of northern Italy and is the home of the tartufo bianco d’Alba – a rare white truffle that’s one of the most sought-after delicacies in the world. Our menu includes a truffle-inspired section – I seriously recommend the Uovo al Tartufo. It’s a sunny-side-up egg with truffle, hazelnuts, anchovies and asparagus sauce. Finally, Alba is easy to say and easy to remember. [Enrico chuckles.]

What’s the concept behind your menu?
The idea behind the menu is to bring Italy here, from north to south, all of it. [Head chef Antonino D’Alessi tells us more.] Chef [Enirco] comes from the north, I’m from the south. The menu represents Italy, with all of its tradition, while keeping Chef’s clear and defined style and vision.

There are so many seating options for diners at ALBA by Enrico Crippa. If you were a guest, where would you sit?
There is no right answer to this, because it depends on the occasion. I love the main dining area, because it’s inspired by the arcades in Italian cities. [These beautiful arched, covered walkways are usually built in northern Italian cities, where it rains more. There are 53km of arcades in Bologna alone – Ed.] Arcades are where Italians can promenade, visit boutiques, bars and restaurants without getting wet! So, I love the atmosphere in this part of the restaurant. But if I wanted to eat a romantic meal, it would be the Romeo-and-Juliet balcony. And if I wanted to have fun with some friends or share secrets over a business lunch, I’d choose the Cellar. It’s private and quiet. Perfect. Personally, I don’t eat in the kitchen at the Chef’s Table, because I’m in the kitchen all day! [He laughs] But many people like to eat where the guys prepare, stress… They might see us create something new. It’s a fascinating place to eat!

Finally, if you could choose just one ingredient to cook with for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Rice! That’s my favourite ingredient. I’d either cook it in the Oriental way or in the risotto way or in salad… I love everything to do with rice. Our Risotto allo Zafferano e Ossobuco is a beautiful risotto with saffron and veal shank. I adore it. ✤