The All In One Ultimate Restaurant List Interview: Federico Sali

Tinello is run by brothers Federico and Max Sali, a chef and sommelier respectively. After moving to London from their native Tuscany Max worked at Chez Nico before joining his brother at Zafferano, where they both worked for Giorgio Locatelli. They both followed the acclaimed Italian chef when he opened Locanda Locatelli, and he would even go on to invest in Tinello, the brothers’ first restaurant.

Tinello is a lot more casual than Locanda Locatelli. Given the choice between laidback and fine dining, where does Federico Sali prefer to eat out? “If it’s a celebration I will definitely choose fine dining, but for an everyday meal I would chose a more informal restaurant.”

When asked what he would have been if he hadn’t become a chef, he says there is no contest. “I wouldn’t have become anything other than a chef. There was no other choice!”

He doesn’t cook at home much as he is at the restaurant almost every day, leaving his wife in charge of the kitchen. For his last meal he would choose white truffles from San Giovanni D’asso in Tuscany if in season, otherwise chicken liver crostini.