Located just at the entrance to the banks of Clausen, along the Alzette, OIO is in the hands of chef-owner Leonardo de Paoli. In just four years, he has succeeded in developing an address with a cuisine full of flavours, which gives pride of place to the flavours of his native region in northern Italy.
“I’m originally from Verona,” explains de Paoli. “I really like this region, but it’s also a fairly conservative region, and I always told myself that I would move somewhere else.” After starting to study economics, he realised that his passion was undeniably cooking. So he decided to change direction and took the helm at the Alma school, under the aegis of Gualtiero Marchesi, a leading figure in Italian gastronomy. He continued his apprenticeship, working for restaurants in Parma, Milan, Paris, New York and Luxembourg. He arrived here 11 years ago, at Mosconi. “I learnt a lot there [at Mosconi], both in the dining room and in the kitchen,” he says. But he harboured a deep-seated desire for his own establishment.
A little after the covid-19 health crisis, the opportunity arose in a premises in Clausen. “We started small, but with a lot of enthusiasm,” says the chef. Over the years, he has gradually invested to improve the ambience in the dining room and has moved upmarket with his products. About a year ago, he even invested in software that he is the only one to use in Luxembourg. “We went to eat at Mirazur and were impressed by the way they run the service. We asked about it and discovered that the team uses software that enables them to track the progress of the service at each table very precisely. We thought this was great and decided to install it at OIO.” In fact, this software allows them to know exactly how far the menu has progressed, how long it’s been since each plate was placed on the table, the wine served… “for us, who have an upstairs kitchen, with the impossibility of having a direct link with the dining room, it’s very efficient and much more environmentally friendly than having paper vouchers.”
Modern Italian cuisine
On the plates, the preparations are a fine example of Italian gastronomy. “We prepare modern, light Italian cuisine,” says de Paoli. “Italian gastronomy is very varied and has as many specificities as there are regions. For us, it’s more northern Italy and the Verona region in particular, but not exclusively.” His passion for olive oil--which gave the restaurant its name, since oio means “oil” in several Italian dialects, is emblematic of his approach: a simple, sincere product with multiple flavours that tells of the land and authenticity.
For our testing menu, we were seated on the very pleasant terrace, with the sound of the Alzette flowing right next to the restaurant. The edges of the terrace are adorned with numerous pots in which grow aromatic herbs, cherry tomatoes or a few nasturtiums, benefiting both the kitchens for a local harvest and the customers to keep insects away.
The entire menu was a magnificent discovery made from seasonal produce: crisp white asparagus salad, just marinated; pea tagliolini with crispy tomato breadcrumbs. Then came an extraordinary dish: raviolo with runny egg yolk. The chef’s signature dish, it is also a technical feat to make. For the occasion, it was accompanied by green asparagus and morels. Fantastic! This was followed by delicious tagliatelle with rabbit ragout and perfectly roasted lamb with herbs. And to finish, a rhubarb dessert in different textures, with creamy yoghurt ice cream.
To accompany the cuisine, the wine list has around 450 references from Italy, Luxembourg and France. From fine classic bottles to more confidential discoveries, there’s plenty to enjoy here too.
Today, the team is made up of nine people, including five in the kitchen. This autumn, the veranda will be redone to improve comfort. “We’re always investing in the customer experience,” says de Paoli. With 35 seats in the dining room and the possibility of welcoming up to 40 guests for a private event, the restaurant deliberately retains a human and intimate dimension.
Address: 48, Montée de Clausen à Luxembourg; .
This article was originally published in French.