Italian food with a twist, at Il Trionfo in Knokke-Heist
"Here, typical Italian generosity triumphs," is stated on the website of Italian restaurant Il Trionfo in Knokke-Heist. And not a word of it is a lie. We are immediately greeted heartily and offered a taste of the menu served in the evening. It is clear: quality is top priority for the Pungitore family.
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At ristorante Il Trionfo, 'la famiglia' is highly valued. Chef Gusti (short for Agustino) is more than happy to share its rich family history. His grandfathers emigrated from Italy to work in the Beringian mines; his grandmothers followed a few years later. "Real kitchen princesses" is what Gusti calls them, "who could not buy pasta here and so had to make it themselves". His grandfather on his father's side spoke fluent French. Besides his job as a miner, he was also a translator AND ran a hotel for guest workers. This is how the bond with and love for the hotel and catering industry was born. In 1974, Gusti's parents Antonio and Giuseppa took over the business, but when his father became ill, they moved to Knokke-Heist. He recovered and it soon started itching to open a new catering business. So they launched Il Trionfo in 1990, which was at that time still located on the Rubensplein.
Despite the fact that Gusti was forced by his parents to study first, his love for the hotel and catering industry was too strong. He loved the contact with people, and even the early and late hours. When a kitchen employee quitted, Gusti took over in the kitchen at Il Trionfo. "In the meantime, I had met my wife Ann-Séverine, who fortunately wanted to go for it together." The result: mother and son were together in the kitchen and father and daughter-in-law in the dining room. Since then, the restaurant has moved to its current location in Paul Parmentier Avenue and a few years ago Gusti took over the business. His father and mother have since retired, but still work there as flexijobbers. And Gusti's son works there as a student.
True craftsmanship
The passion for the craft can be felt here, and you definitely need it, according to Gusti. "People sometimes tend to forget that this is actually a craft. We cut everything with the knife, make our own pastas and foccaccia bread, marinate our salmon ourselves, the potato gratin is cooked in 3 ways, we let the salsa simmer for up to 10 hours,... We obviously prepare the basic ingredients in advance, but a lot of it is done à la minute. Our ingredients are absolutely fresh and the Italian products all carry the 'di origine protetta' label." The result? Intense, honest flavours that often surprise, as Gusti likes to add a French or oriental twist to Italian cuisine. "I want clients to try dishes they have never tasted before in an Italian restaurant. They are all my own creations," he says proudly.
The choice of AQUALEX water
Quality above all - and that also applies to the water served. It was Antonio who started looking for a system to serve still and sparkling tap water about five years ago. In another catering business, he spotted an AQUALEX system. The owners were so enthusiastic that he contacted them too. "Moreover, the manager of AQUALEX turned out to be a client of ours, so it was a perfect match," he says. The first AQUALEX system in our business was recently replaced by a more powerful installation: a Tube tap dispensing still and sparkling water. "For us, it is an ecological choice. It takes as much as 4 litres of water to produce just one litre of bottled water. And it generates a lot of waste. The AQUALEX device is the perfect solution to that. And besides, we don't need to spend so much time on deliveries and filling the fridge anymore. We are also very satisfied with AQUALEX's service."
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