By Anand Holla


A night before the doors of Antica Pesa, a stellar new Italian restaurant at Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl-Doha, would be thrown open on Thursday, Head Chef Marco Calcaterra lounges about in the open terrace outside by the sea, and shoots the breeze.
“We just want to show people what real traditional Italian food is,” he says, when asked about the driving force behind this ‘real Italia’ culinary experience that they promise, “Over the years, the authentic Italian recipes have been lost or forgotten. So what we want to do is to propose tradition again. That’s because you never can stop loving tradition.”
The idea behind giving a taste of Antica Pesa to Qatar then is to propose tradition but in a modern way. “The plan is to keep food as Italian as possible,” says Calcaterra.
Soon after Italian-born brothers Francesco and Simone Panella opened Antica Pesa in Williamsburg, New York, modelled on the original one in the Trastevere neighbourhood of Rome, established in 1922, the gastronomic glow of its authentic Italian fare was matched by the throng of A-list celebrities who have been frequenting it ever since — Madonna, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Mick Jagger, Leonardo Di Caprio, you name it.
Now in Doha, the restaurant that remains true to its 17th Century family-focused roots – with four generations of the same family having managed the restaurant over the past 93 years – makes a spectacular entry with its Italian fine dining fare that reworks traditional recipes from Roman cuisine and creates dishes using local organic products for seasonal dishes.
“I have been here in Doha since October,” Calcaterra says, “I have tried all sorts of restaurants here, where the locals love to go. I realised that most restaurants are serving people what they expect, not what’s right or what they should. We will try to make people understand what the real taste of Italy is.”
Calcaterra insists he doesn’t want to nit-pick on the shortcomings of other “authentic Italian” restaurants in Doha he visited, but admits that many have a tendency to overcook their meals.
“When you overcook pasta, for instance, it loses its flavour, texture, taste and you end up losing out on a rich, satisfying dining experience. In cooking, there has to be equilibrium in everything.”
Calcaterra feels proud about his team, which is almost entirely Italian. “We picked the finest staff for Antica Pesa because it’s important that you have passion for what you do,” he explains.
“To be in this business, you need to work, sometimes 15-16 hours a day. So if you don’t have it here,” he says, pointing to his heart, “you can’t survive. That’s because, for a normal person who isn’t passionate, it cannot make sense.”
Calcaterra regards his grandparents as the inspiration that got him going. “The father of my grandfather used to have a really old restaurant in my city Catania, in Sicily, in front of the sea, very similar to this,” he says, throwing his arms around the restaurant that packs in serene views of Qanat Quartier and the Arabian Gulf.
“This is just one of the reasons why I loved this location when Francesco (Panella, Owner of Antica Pesa restaurants) brought me here first,” the 25-year-old says, “After seven years of London, I get to be here. I walk down here, I relax and take in the breeze, the smell of the sea; it’s lovely.”
Located in the grounds beside the iconic horse sculpture at Marsa Malaz Kempinski, the setting is indeed impressive. As Panella puts it, “The artistic design features, world-class food and beautiful setting of the restaurant make for a truly authentic and unique experience that will redefine Qatar’s Italian culinary scene.”
“I feel like home here in Qatar,” Calcaterra continues, “Maybe because I am Sicilian and grew up in a similar (social) environment. The good thing is that people here know to enjoy life.”
It’s better not to ask Calcaterra what keeps him going. “I think when I will discover that, I may lose it,” he says, smiling, “Also, I am still looking for it. That’s why I keep moving cities and restaurants. This is the ninth restaurant I have opened. I just want to put all of myself into the food we make and give the very best of our tradition that we know.”