Lookout Qatar
Food Matters
Grandma’s Saltimbocca Almost a century after Mama Panella opened Antica Pesa in the Roman neighborhood of Trastevere, the family’s fourth generation restaurateur has brought the now international brand to Doha.
IMAGE COURTESY ANTICA PESA, DOHA
BY AYSWARYA MURTHY
Even before we met Francesco Panella, we knew Francesco Panella. The first sight that greets any diner dropping in at Antica Pesa Doha is an imposing wall of photographs featuring the absolute glitterati of the movie, sports and music worlds. From Tom Hanks to Mick Jagger or Quentin Tarantino to Mike Tyson and everyone in between, Antica Pesa di Roma seems to have hosted them all, evidenced by the dozens of pictures featuring said celebrity with Francesco, sometimes joined by his brother, chef Simone Panella. Even the Doha restaurant, barely a few months old, hosted World No. 1 Novak Djokovic more than once while he was here for the Qatar Open. Happily, it coincided with Francesco’s visit to Doha. So what is it about the restaurant that has turned it into a sort of Cannes after-party annex? For generations, the family has run the restaurant a certain way - authentic and personal. “We prefer to be at the table, interacting with the guests, talking about the food,” explains Panella. Every generation that took over was required to plan the future of the restaurant and get the family’s consent to go ahead with it. “My father wanted to make the brand international within Rome. I wanted to do something different and take the brand outside the country,” he says. And so it unfolded. Antica Pesa made it out of Rome close to 90 years after they served their first spaghetti cacio e pepe and opened their first international restaurant in Brooklyn, New York in 2012. “You know about the Italians,” Panella jokes about their lost gestation period, “they’d rather stay home with their mothers, eating her wonderful food and not worrying about the world outside.” However, considering Antica Pesa Doha is his second international restaurant in as many years, Panella was clearly not the one to stay home. Once they had managed to make a name for themselves in New York, he was eager for a new challenge and Doha apparently was the first choice. “I find a lot of my values reflected in the city and I miss it when I am not here,” he says, explaining his connection with Doha. “The first watch I got from my father was a Patek Philippe, Doha edition. I grew up seeing that on my hand day after day. I knew one day I would open a restaurant here.” And when he got the offer to team up with the powerful Al Fardan family to bring Antica Pesa to Qatar, he jumped on it after just one second, he says. “I told them, I’ll come tomorrow. I wanted to do it right away. I always feel amazing when I am here. The people are so good, so passionate about food and they give us so much more than we give them. For me, Antica Pesa Doha is a valuable, personal success.” While the interiors are similar to the Antica Pesa di Roma, it was impossible to replicate the charm and character of the 15th century building in Italy. But the Doha branch appeals to Panella’s artistic sensibilities. “I am particularly proud of the lounge which is unique to our Doha restaurant.” His sojourn in Doha sparked Panella’s interest in falconry. “When I discovered that it was a sport here and part of their heritage, I started loving Doha more. I am in the middle of buying a falcon, the negotiations are ongoing,” he says. “Of course, I am going to call it Antica Pesa.”
FINE ITALIAN CUISINE Clockwise from top: Outdoor seating at Antica Pesa Doha lounge; Francesco Panella (right) and his brother, Simone; interiors of the lounge; the wall of fame.
January-February 2016
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