Golden rooms with soft lighting, soft music and die-hard fans. Mediterraneo – with a brother branch in Westlands and a newly-opened sister in Gigiri is a mainstay on the Nairobi restaurant scene. Beside the lovely patio garden that completes the feeling of a slice of sanctuary at the Junction, Chef Piero sits down for some straight talk on his cuisine, popular dishes and favorite place in town (besides Mediterraneo, of course!).

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
In 21 years in Kenya, you’d have more than one. I would say pizza, it was really weird, more or less like chapatti. I sent it back, got another one with these same things. All of the bad things I can think of were concentrated in that pizza. The dough, the topping, and the cooking – none of it worked. So being Italian, I get the pizza that way, bah!

Where do you go to celebrate your birthday?
I went once to Sankara, in fact, I took my son, too, and I was quite happy with the service and the food. We just had a great time. It was fusion, a mix of cuisine and all the courses were good. And the service was extremely good. I like a polite ambience and waiter was quite attentive. He was always there at the right moment. Quite an achievement in Kenya.

What do you cook when no one’s looking?
I’m a good Italian, so pasta. I like a pasta called bisanzio. It’s a simple pasta, made with fresh tomato, basil, olive oil and a pinch of garlic. A quite delicate pasta.

What are you famous for?
We have many. There is something everybody knows, our lasagna. The bestseller. For the desserts, tiramisu. Bomba is a double layer of mousse white and chocolate with raspberry in it, set on a “mirror” of raspberry sauce. Don’t forget risotto by the way, this is our flagship. A customer once came here and she said, “This is the best risotto in own. Can I have the recipe?” Of course, I joked with her that she could have it for 50,000 shillings.

If you were on Death Row, what would be your last meal?
Dessert. At least it would make my end sweet. A nice, hot, chocolate brownie, sizzling. And maybe I will have a close encounter with a woman before I get away!