Nestled in the heart of East London, and situated within the Town Hall Hotel, a grand Edwardian building, Da Terra was opened by Chef Owner Rafael Cagali in 2019. Fast establishing an impeccable reputation, it gained its first Michelin star after just 8 months and added a second in the 2021 guide.
The 28 diners lucky enough to secure a seat entrust the chefs for almost 3 hours as their blind tasting experience builds beautifully, moving from course to course with impeccably presented dishes surprising and delighting. The experimental cuisine is inspired by the flavours of Rafael’s origins and influences of the culinary experiences throughout his career, having worked alongside numerous heralded names within the industry.
Rafael’s reputation led to an invitation to cook within the full Electrolux Professional kitchen at Northcote, during the 2023 iteration of their acclaimed Obsession festival. It was here he started a dialogue with Matt Astbury, Business Development Manager, over plans to overhaul the Da Terra kitchen – as since taking over the space he had always `wanted to do something special’.
Expansive discussions over cooking requirements, design options and visits to existing stove installations followed. Despite being impressed by the customisation available with a thermaline stove, Rafael fell in love with both the story of Molteni and the fact his suite would be completely bespoke, so site surveys & final design commenced.
The finished stove, tailored to meet the specific needs of Da Terra’s kitchen, features a mix of modern and traditional elements. Its induction hob not only delivers the precise temperature control you would expect but has also been specifically designed to cater for the 9cm pans used to deliver the sauces the menu requires. Similarly the team needed warming drawers of differing temperatures, so now each of the two drawers can be set at an individual temperature. Further unique features were added such as a bamix holder, again supporting activities integral to the menu and evidencing the `no limits’ nature of a Molteni stove.
Aesthetics are of course a big factor, particularly with Da Terra’s open kitchen design meaning diners can catch a glimpse of the stove in action, adding a sense of theatre to their meal. Combining this with the infinite choice of colours available meant a lot of pressure on the final decision. Although it was likely always going to be green, given Rafael’s love for the colour and his football loyalties to Palmeiras, the exact tone took a lot of deliberation.
The final choice complements the setting fantastically, with the colour subtly changing as the natural light moves throughout the day. The combination of the chosen green with the gold trim pieces is unique having never been crafted before.
And it seems the one-of-a-kind nature was the key driver for Rafael. Considering the match between Molteni and Da Terra he summarised ; `I think Molteni will fit perfectly here, you can personalise with the small little details – this is also part of the way we cook in Da Terra. It’s a perfect combination, I would say!’