The restaurant with 7 unique tables in 7 rooms in Busto Arsizio

The host and creator of the format is Massimiliano Babila Cagelli. A self-taught chef, he was first a swimmer and then the founder of a communications agency. "The works are displayed in the restaurant, but they're not mine," he is keen to point out.

While the art/food combo may not sound like a novelty, Tavolo Unico transforms the concept into something original. Upon entering, the first space is a wine shop. Also on the ground floor is the Bistrot, the more informal area with a simpler menu (€60 and €90 with wine), but where art is a given. The bistro features works by Kempinski, Renato Guttuso, and Lara Battiato.

On the basement level, a 400-square-meter museum hosts temporary exhibitions, concerts, cultural events, and private events, as well as the evocative Dante Table, surrounded by works by 53 artists who have interpreted the Divine Comedy. All the cantos are printed across the entire wall.

The 7 rooms of the Single Table

We then ascend to the first floor, where the seven private rooms are located. True exclusivity for the guest means not sharing the intimacy of their dinner with other tables, and focusing on the people at the Single Table with them. You don't come to be noticed by others; as the owner emphasizes, "you don't blossom here." But reservations come from all over Italy, even from Monte Carlo. A restaurant in Busto Arsizio with such appeal deserves attention.

Each of the 7 rooms has a single table for two to ten people and a personality dictated by the choice of works and furnishings.

The Incanto room with Chagalle's floating animals; the Free as a Bird room with a slightly grunge feel and works by Banksy; the most prestigious room, Masterpiece, with Picasso and Fontana, and part of the report on the restoration of the Sistine Chapel. The Single Table in this room is set with silver cutlery and glasses from 1935 and a candelabra from the same period.

And then the White Books room; the Portraits room with works by Matisse; the romantic Romeo and Juliet room; the Samurai room.

But since we don't just feed on art, we were especially curious to try the cuisine. Also because as you wander around, admiring paintings, sculptures, and precious objects, pleasant aromas waft from the kitchen.

Massimiliano assures us that every product is of the highest quality, many vegetables come from local gardens, the bread and leavened products are homemade and the menu is entirely lactose free.

The service is kind and delicate, at times shy and not at all rigid.

How much does the Tavolo Unico restaurant cost?

You can choose between the tasting menus Origini, Origini Vegetali, Catch of the Day (150 euros per person, 180 euros with three wines)

Dialogue from 9 courses for €150 per person or 6 courses for €120.

À la carte, three courses cost €90 and five courses €120. Service charge, water, and coffee are included.

The press tastings

Bread, oil, and butter. The butter is made with lactose-free milk. The organic olive oil is Sicilian. The bread is made with sourdough starter.

A sweet and savory wafer filled with trout, chives, and pink peppercorns, this entrée is more reminiscent of a Scandinavian dish. The fish is baked into the pastry, though instead of salmon, it features less fatty trout. It's buttery with a soft, pleasant texture.

Cold-smoked scampi served with all its parts cooked differently. The scampi head has been dried to enhance its umami flavor. The insides of the claws are used to make mayonnaise, and each shell is a crouton. Not bad, although the sweetness is dominant.

Squid ink cacciucco. Arranged on a base of chickpea puree, baby cuttlefish, and shrimp. Unlike traditional cacciucco, where the discarded fish is cooked all together to blend the flavors, in this cacciucco each ingredient is added separately, at different times and temperatures. Unexpectedly delicate, with the chickpeas toning down the strong flavor of the squid ink. The mollusks and crustaceans have just the right consistency.

The cult dish from Tavolo Unico in Busto Arsizio

Shrimp in Campari with burrata stracciatella, passion fruit granita, bell pepper chips, and beetroot with dried cornstarch. The base is a mixture of licorice and Taggiasca olives. We've been told this has always been the menu's signature dish. I wasn't sold on it, and I didn't find the right balance of flavors. The Campari marinade of the Mazara del Vallo red shrimp was too bitter, as was the pairing with the passion fruit, which could have worked on its own. The burrata is perhaps the dish's redeeming feature, as its fattiness tones down the saltiness but enhances the crustacean's sweetness. The passion fruit's acidity should have tempered the very soft and fatty texture on the palate, but the Campari's bitterness destabilizes the flavor profile. However, we've been told people like it, so I must have misunderstood.

Spaghetti with tomato sauce, which isn't spaghetti with tomato sauce, but actually made with tomato in the dough and seasoned with a little tomato water and butter. Very good, with just the right amount of acidity and sweetness from the vegetable. Perfectly cooked.

Sturgeon, saffron mayonnaise, runny salad, chili pepper. Marinated and cooked at a low temperature, the sturgeon retains the tenderness of its prized flesh. The result is a silky, flavorful morsel. The pairing with saffron is perfect. The spicy notes seem to distract from the harmonious melody, but fortunately not excessively so.

Prosciutto and melon. For dessert, an original version of this summery combo, with the melon in the form of panna cotta and the prosciutto in the form of dried ham. Delicious.

Single Table. Address: Viale Ippolito Nievo, 7, 21052 Busto Arsizio VA. Telephone: 331 732 4894.