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The One and Only Chef Giorgio Locatelli - a partnership made in Montenegro

One&Only Portonovi, the ultra-luxury resort opening later this year in Montenegro, has announced a partnership with Chef Giorgio Locatelli to bring destination dining to the shores of Boka Bay.

Sabia by Giorgio Locatelli will serve healthy southern Italian cuisine with a focus on fresh seafood and vegetables. This will be the world-renowned chef’s first restaurant in the region, and his third in the world, joining Michelin-starred Locanda Locatelli in London and Ronda Locatelli located at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai.


Born into a cooking dynasty in Corgeno, on the shores of Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy, Giorgio Locatelli is considered by many to be one of the finest Italian chefs in the world. He has worked at some of Europe’s most revered restaurants, opening his first independent restaurant in London in 2002 which was awarded a Michelin Star the following year. Sabia by Giorgio Locatelli at One&Only Portonovi will have a focus on wellness and will use only the freshest of locally sourced and seasonal ingredients, to create artisanal Italian fare from rice flour pizzas and organic sorghum salads, to homemade whole-wheat pasta dishes and grilled seafood with olive oil and herbs.

The restaurant will feature an open kitchen, an impressive walk-in wine cellar and a private dining room as well as a Raw Bar offering organic crudo vegetables and fresh mozzarella for lighter options. The impressive wine list will complement the extensive food menu with a focus on Italian blends and locally grown varietals, as well as a full selection of Italian apéritifs, digestifs and hand-crafted cocktails including seasonal fruit pulp prosecco, barrel aged Negroni, homemade spritzers and outstanding Italian coffees. The ultimate Riviera style restaurant, Sabia is an innovative new dining concept which will redefine Italian cuisine, offering indoor and outdoor dining, with views of the stunning Adriatic coastline and enchanting mountains beyond.

“We are thrilled to bring Sabia by Giorgio Locatelli to One&Only Portonovi, defining a new level of culinary excellence in the region,” commented Philippe Zuber, Chief Operating Officer, Kerzner International. “We are constantly striving to create original culinary experiences for our guests to discover, and we feel this partnership with Giorgio Locatelli will offer them the rare opportunity to experience his extraordinary culinary vision in a spectacular setting. We have an unmatched level of world-renowned chefs across the portfolio and Giorgio is no exception. We have been fortunate enough to work with Giorgio Locatelli on our family-style dining experience at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai since the launch of Ronda Locatelli, so it seemed a natural progression to extend our exclusive partnership to bring his expertise and creative flair to our first, much anticipated One&Only resort in Europe.”


Celebrating the sandy beach of the Riviera of One&Only Portonovi, the name of the restaurant hints at sabbia, the Italian word for sand. An element of escapism, it is also recalls memories of Venetian masks, brilliantly designed concealing identities for a bit of decadence.


“I am delighted to be opening at One&Only Portonovi in Montenegro – a beautiful country neighbouring my own. My brand is not ubiquitous and I select my locations with great care. The emphasis on quality and freshness of produce, and the importance of innovation and creativity, are visions I share with Kerzner International, so it seems a natural fit,” said Chef Giorgio Locatelli. Many traditional dishes of Montenegro’s Adriatic coast have a distinctively Italian influence, and our cuisines share many core values, such as the farm to table concept, so I’m very excited to bring my own heritage together with a local Montenegrin twist to create Sabia.”


Guests of One&Only Portonovi will also be able to enjoy a variety of other distinctive culinary experiences, such as Tapasake Club, a relaxed yet vibrant pool club serving contemporary pan-Asian, tapas-style fusion cuisine, with its own sake bar and regular DJ, and La Veranda, influenced by local Montenegrin home cooking styles, with an open kitchen and live cooking stations.

One&Only Portonovi will be an essential part of Portonovi, a new 60-acre luxury lifestyle development on the picturesque shores of Boka Bay, when it opens in 2020. Situated adjacent to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kotor, and boasting its own secluded sandy beach, One&Only Portonovi will offer the ultimate in privacy and exclusivity, as well as a year-round destination Espace Chenot Health Wellness Spa. The resort will also offer a limited number of One&Only Private Homes available for purchase. Situated on the west side of Montenegro, Portonovi is an easy drive from both Dubrovnik (one hour) and Tivat (50 minutes), both of which are served by a variety of airlines, and well-equipped to handle private jets.



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