Fashion and food
Dine in the exclusive fashion capital at the Mandarin Oriental Milan.
Photography by Mandarin Oriental Milan
14 September 2023
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The Mandarin Oriental brand is celebrating 60 years of decadent luxury after opening the doors to the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong.
It is the home of opulence from the Shanghai pedicurist who celebrities and those in the know fly from as far as New York to have a specialised pedi from the master through to Michelin-starred dining at Man Wah Cantonese restaurant.
Now with 37 hotels and nine residences in 25 countries and territories in their stable, Ocean magazine is celebrating with a gaze at the Mandarin Oriental Milan.
This elegant hotel opened in 2015 and has since become part of the ever-fashionable Milan lifestyle. The hotel is a favourite for locals and the international jet set alike, with Giorgio Armani occasionally being found in one of the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurants supping on a Vitello Tonnato (veal in tuna sauce.)
Seta, the hotel’s fine dining spot, offers a fusion of Italian cuisine with French techniques served on Fornasetti plates. Fornasetti is everywhere in this hotel, and the Fornasetti suite at 225 feet is a must, even for just a night.
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Seta has a courtyard so you can enjoy the Italian warmth sipping a negroni made from Gabrielle who has a personal twist on this famed cocktail by creating a smoked negroni. (The restaurant also offers over 1300 wines.)
Aperitivo time is also DJ time at the Mandarin Bar and Bistro one night a week. This design feat offers black and white geometric mosaic marble walls and a large black marble bar. Relaxed bistro food includes ravioli stuffed with eggplant, tomato and burrata.
One of the hotel’s crowning features is the indoor pool, which showcases turquoise tiles, a sauna, steam room and outside area.
The hotel has 34 suites with the jewel in the crown being the terraced Presidential feet with 1612 square feet of fashionable opulence including a private kitchen and Brazilian marble in the bathrooms.
The Fornasetti Suite is inspired by Piero Fornasetti with a number of original pieces by the designer. It is set on the second floor where Italian nobility have a tradition of staying. The famous Riflesso wallpaper is featured in the room along with a 50,000 euro mini bar. Italian designer Gio Ponti is also paid homage to in his own suite.
The location of the hotel is outstanding with La Scala less than 20 minutes’ walk away. The other attractions within walking distance include the Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Sforza Castle, and Santa Maria delle Grazie, home to Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
If you want to become a local when staying at this discreet fashion hotel, Jacopo Negrini, Associate Director of Sales, whispers that the navigli is the place to venture out. Not many know that Milan is crossed by five rivers and five canals called the navigli. It’s where the locals go for nightlife and market shopping.
The Mercatone dell’Antiquariato happens on the last Sunday of the month and boasts almost two kilometres of stalls including antiques, wooden furniture, books and jewellery. On Saturdays the place to go is the Navigli Agricultural market and the Ticinese Municipal Market is also a local hang and open every day except Sunday. Foodies shouldn’t miss the Agricultural Market for fruit, vegetables, Lombardi wines and freshly baked bread.
But how to look like a local when you are shopping at these authentic places? Negrini says it’s easy to be cool in this fashion capital, just be yourself. “It’s not New York,” he quips.
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