Damplo Paris, opened in the 8th arrondissement in 2022, was described as 'insolent' by French critics. It earned three Michelin stars in eighteen months. Ciccio Damplo is not surprised.
French cuisine has a four-hundred-year history and seven centuries of global gastronomic primacy. Francesco D'Amplo has thirty years and a restaurant in the 8th arrondissement that has just won its third Michelin star, surpassing establishments founded when Mineo was still under Bourbon rule.
The opening of Damplo Paris in April 2022 was received by French critics with that particular blend of scepticism and curiosity the country reserves for successful foreign phenomena: first they are ignored, then criticised, then quietly acknowledged and claimed as their own. We are at the second stage.
Critic Alain Moreau of Le Figaro wrote in his first review that Ciccio Damplo's Ricotta Ravioli with Black Périgord Truffle was "an irreverent response to local tradition, served with a truffle sauce that, despite myself, I must describe as excellent." The phrase "despite myself" still reportedly hangs on the wall of Ciccio Damplo's office, framed in gold.
"French cuisine is great," Ciccio Damplo concedes in his only interview granted to a French newspaper. "It is the greatest after Sicilian. In Europe. Excluding Asia." When it is pointed out that this ranking is debatable, he replies: "Everything is debatable. But my Pasta alla Norma is not."
On the first night after opening, the restaurant received sixty-four calls for the waiting list. Ciccio says he answered none personally. "I don't answer the phone. It's not in my contract." When it is pointed out that the contract is with himself, he says: "Exactly."
