In Naples, in what were the scenographic spaces of the former Treasury of the Banco di Napoli inside the Galleria Principe di Napoli, chef Marco Ambrosino entertains us with his sophisticated Mediterranean cuisine, immersed in the atmospheres of the Belle Époque rediscovered after the philological restoration of the building.

Sustànza, inaugurated in March 2023, is part of the larger Scotto Jonno project, named after the first café chantant that opened in the Gallery the day after its inauguration, conceived by Luca Iannuzzi, a visionary entrepreneur with a strong passion for art and Neapolitan culture.

Having fallen in love with the potential of those spaces, that had remained closed for quite some time, 2 years ago he began, with the help of his artist and designer friend Eugenio Tibaldi, the restoration of the building, bringing to light all the splendid original nineteenth century decorations.

A surreal tour of the Mediterranean, between the known and the unknown as the basis of future memories. A manifesto of Mediterranean creolity.

(Marco Ambrosino, chef)

Thus, contemporary furniture inspired by Art Noveau were combined with vintage pieces and the elegant walls covered with San Leucio silk, a textile art born around 1776 when King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon founded the Royal Colony of San Leucio, relying on the best master weavers of the time.

For the gastronomic project, Luca chose the chef Marco Ambrosino, famous in the culinary news for the success of his Milanese restaurant 28 Posti. His cuisine starts from history, more precisely “from the stories” that intrigue and entertain him, to discover the most authentic Neapolitan souls. Naples, in fact has been the gateway to the Mediterranean for centuries and its culture was formed, stratified, also thanks to the influence of all the countries that overlook this generous sea.

Together with sous chef Domenico Cerrone and pastry chef Federico Andreini, Marco loves to work rediscovering the foundations of Italic food, such as garum, a fermented sauce already used by the ancient Romans, as well as with traditional ingredients that he reinvents thanks to his cultured skill in combining emotions and flavors.

Two examples? The white fish cooked in cabbage with rice koji, fermented barley sauce and tobacco, an ingredient with which he chose to experiment after reading the story of the Tabacchine di Tricase in Puglia (worth knowing!) and which he transformed into the perfect spice to flavor its fermented sauces.

Or the “Sheep” dish with carob harira, roses, tomato and chickpea licorice leftet, sheep garum, grass pea tempeh, almond feta and fermented cucumber, pastilla with sheep scraps and pomegranate molasses, made up of many different courses, each representing the countries, such as Algeria, Morocco, Turkey, which give shape to Naples and its neighborhoods, a tribute to the cultural biodiversity of this wonderful city.

And, as if that weren’t enough, cooking and history are not the only fields in which Marco excels. Some of the paintings that decorate Sustànza are also by him, as are the illustrations of the beautiful menu, a way, he says, of concentrating and reaching a higher form of creative meditation. In a word, Renaissance-style.

The Secret

The area in which the Prince of Naples Gallery was built between the 1500s and 1600s was the Fossa del Grano, the grain storage area for the city. By a strange coincidence, one of the dishes Marco Ambrosino has become famous for is actually just made with wheat, namely his Spaghettino with fermented pasta water and miso.

Useful Info

Sustànza
Galleria Principe di Napoli XIV XVII
80135 Napoli
Tel. +39 081 3795766

Tasting menu: from 80 euro 5 courses, wine pairing 5 glasses 60 euro
À la carte: from 22 to 40 euro