New melting pot
The name comes from the Italian habit of introducing the figure of ‘a cousin’ who, like a sort of deus ex machina, is an expert always ready to solve any situation. Cugino makes its debut in Rome’s Parioli district as a bar- cafeteria open from morning to late evening, on the ground floor of The Hoxton brand-new hotel, Italy’s first facility owned by English brand Ennismore, leader in the hospitality and lifestyle sector at an international level. Cugino stems from the collaboration with the Marigold restaurant and micro-bakery in Rome, led by Sofie Wochner and Domenico Cortese. In the morning, you can enjoy delicious pastries of Northern European inspiration mixed with Mediterranean flavors, such as orange brioche, a reinterpretation of the typical cinnamon bun, puff pastries, croissants, muffins and cakes. Among these is the zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting, a reinterpretation of the carrot cake. To accompany the cafeteria, open from morning to evening, fresh extracts and smoothies with seasonal fruits and vegetables. Lunch, based on search for high-quality raw materials and the enhancement of local ingredients, presents a fancy and informal menu, including quiches of the day served with varied salads, and rich and colorful soups, prepared with seasonal products. Attentive to waste reduction, besides serving various samples of Cugino’s main dishes, such as homemade pizzettas and gourmet sandwiches, the ‘aperitivo’ ranges from the typical savory snacks of the Italian tradition – a mix of nuts and toasted seeds, Cerignola olives, sweet and sour seasonal vegetables – to a selection of cold cuts and cheeses of the highest quality, presented on wooden boards handmade by Tuscan artisan Andrea Brugi. The menu is completed by a selection of Italian wines – among the many labels are Le Coste, Occhipinti SP68, Casale Certosa, Principiano – curated by Marco Pasquali, owner of Osteria lotto in Campagnano di Roma. Late in the evening, the cocktails created by head bartender Simone De Luca take center stage. He boasts experience in international groups and a nomination at the ‘Tales of the Cocktail’ festival, and alternates great classics with more sophisticated proposals, with a wide selection of revisited cocktails dedicated to vermouth. Among these, the Folk Negroni, based on American whisky mixed with vermouth and ginger. thehoxton.com/rome www.instagram.com/cugino__roma
On weekends, for brunch, savory and sweet dishes are served to satisfy all tastes, such as omelets, English breakfast with fried eggs, Tuscan sausage, cannellini beans, homemade ketchup and Dijon mustard, pancakes, and freshly baked brioches, such as the toasted brioche with sheep ricotta cream and strawberry preserve.
In the comfortable spaces of Cugino, the intense notes of Chicchi by Marigold, the brand’s first line of specialty coffee, derived from a single-origin coffee from the fertile and rich province of Jikawa, Papua New Guinea, waft through the air. Food is served on a collection of custom Churchill plates with a minimalist color palette to enhance food.
