DaDa in Taverna by Andrea Castrignano

“I wanted to create a bridge between avant-garde and tradition” explains Andrea Castrignano “while maintaining a respectful and conservative approach to the existing structure. The boiserie, the terracotta floor, the wooden coffered ceiling and the frescoes on the walls: the restyling has enhanced these very Milanese architectural and decorative elements, giving new life to the furnishings in a sort of dialogue between past and present”.

The name that the two founders have chosen for the new venue is a clear reference to Dadaism, a cultural avant-garde that characterized the early years of the twentieth century, when in the carriage house of a noble palace in via Morigi was born Taverna Moriggi, which owes the double "G" of its name to a transcription error. Now DaDa in Taverna wants to be a place of meeting and conviviality that blends tradition and modernity, history and creativity, art and design.

The color strongly characterizes the environment. Two shades, vivid and extremely elegant, chosen: Petrol , for the walls and padding in velvet of the backrests of the benches, and Aubergine, for the seats with which the period chairs have been renewed. Even the wooden paneling and the bar counter have been modernized with the application of adhesive films with Dadaist-style graphics in the mirrors.

Behind the counter, the new bottle holders made with metal shelves with integrated light, which replaced the old wooden shelves, give a contemporary and international flavor to the cocktail bar.

The restyling has also enhanced the original frescoes, protected by transparent Plexiglas panels on which the artist Alex Prosperi has created graphic interventions, transforming them into a sort of visual story that alternates abstractionism and figurative art with more defined outlines.

Castrignano's intervention also involved furniture and lighting : from square tables covered with white Carrara marble tops, to modern-style dimmable decorative lights with painted metal structure black and opal glass; from the LED luminous signs with puns (like the one that shows the phonetic pronunciation of speakeasy Italianized and leads into a private room), to two backlit panels in white lacquered metal that graphically reproduce the optometric tables and describe in ten points the 'manifesto' by DaDa in Taverna.

A restyling that also involved the kitchen, where dishes and recipes that amaze with their tasty and genuine simplicity come to life. Paolo Anzil and Giuseppe Davide La Grotteria, thanks to the experimental use of high quality raw materials, offer the flavors of typical Milanese cuisine, expressed in an original interpretation.

DaDa in Taverna offers a cuisine that is inspired by the past, but told through a new language. Its menu suggests a path, with an invitation to abandon prejudices and false myths to let yourself be carried away and amazed.

“In this project I have combined my passions: design , art and food” concludes Andrea Castrignano. “I wanted to create an environment that was unique, applying the sartorial attention to detail that characterizes my philosophy and at the same time enhancing the history and allure of this iconic place for Milan. It is well known the attention that I also dedicate to the furnishing of the table and to welcoming guests, essential to fully enjoy conviviality together with good food. I am sure that Paolo and Davide will be able to make DaDa in Taverna the new place to be for the Milanese and beyond”.