Food & Beverage | Caffé B: A Taste of Southern Italy

A  cozy and stylish Italian restaurant that hugs the Nam Van lakeside is back with a new face. Fronted by restaurant manager Cristiano Cannata, who exudes a warm and typical breed of Italian hospitality, Caffé B is a tribute to the simpler and lighter tastes of the country’s south.

The establishment has an almost al fresco ambience with its large sliding doors and open-air breeze. As for the décor, diners can expect elegant, modern interiors decked with authentic Sicilian tiles.

But far from intimidating, the restaurant has a welcoming vibe, with a philosophy putting food quality first and the fine dining experience second.

Cannata wants its southern Italian cuisine, more cannelloni than lasagna, to be seen as a “traditional but modern approach to Italian dining.”

He is aided by Miki Yoshihito, a young and upcoming chef with a particular affinity for seafood, who brings an inevitable touch of Japanese sensitivity to the dishes and their presentation.

But this is no hybrid dining experience. Cannata says the young “Chef Miki”, who studied in Italy for nigh on a decade, is about as Italian as one can get.

Caffé B’s location on Avenida Panoramica do Lago Nam Van – tucked away in a quiet and undisturbed spot around the corner from McDonald’s – has already established it as a venue of choice for lunchtime business meetings and post-work social functions.

But the restaurant manager is keen to bring his little part of Italy to a wider slice of Macau society through what he sees as a niche in the peninsula market: an authentic Italian experience without the integrated resort price tag.

“What we offer is high-end quality food at more competitive prices,” he said. “By stripping away the fine dining element and focusing on the food, [we can offer] fresh Italian food in a stylish setting.”

“We are focused on capturing the local market: people who live in Macau, want quality food nearby and don’t want to travel to the casinos.”

His strategy is to embed the restaurant into the social fabric of Macau by becoming an integral part of the city’s community. Late next month, the restaurant will press ahead with a gallery night for the artwork of local autistic children, with the proceeds going to charity. Many more events are planned for the future, Cannata says.