In the heart of Panzano, a tiny Tuscan village of just over 1,000 souls, stands an unassuming butcher shop that has become a pilgrimage site for food lovers worldwide. Here, Dario Cecchini—an eighth-generation butcher whose family has practised the craft in the same spot for 250 years—works tirelessly from dawn to dusk, seven days a week. Through his hands, the humblest cuts of meat are transformed into dishes that honour both tradition and innovation, earning him recognition from the likes of Anthony Bourdain and The New York Times, which dubbed him “The World’s Greatest Butcher”.
But what does a title like that entail? I spend a day at his Singaporean outpost at the Mondrian Singapore Duxton, Bottega di Carna, to understand the man behind the cheeky moustache, and experience just what 250 years of heritage tastes like.
ESQUIRE SINGAPORE: Who is Dario Cecchini?
DARIO CECCHINI: I come from a very tiny village in Panzano—there are not even 1,000 people in our village. I’m the butcher of our little town, and I continue to be just that. There’s no director of our butcher shop, no manager—it’s just me running everything.
By 7 or 8 o’clock in the morning, I’d already spent an hour on the phone organising all the work and setting up the day. I work every day, seven days a week, usually for 13 or 14 hours a day.
There’s no holiday, no days off unless I’m travelling for work. But it’s not just about keeping things going to make more money. My family has been butchers for eight generations—that’s 250 years of doing the same work in the same place. Next year will mark my 50th year as a butcher in my shop in Panzano.
ESQ: What does it mean to be a famous butcher?
DAR: Our town is starting to become well-known, even famous, partly thanks to our butcher shop. For me, being called famous is important only because it brings more people to my little town. That’s what matters to me.
It’s nice when I’m travelling outside my town, and someone recognises me—on a plane, for example and they ask for a picture. I always joke and say, “Come to Ponzano first, then we’ll take a picture.”
So, being famous, for me, is about representing my community. We’re so small [that] we need to show up in some way.
ESQ: Do you have any stories of your community?
DAR: I rarely sit down for lunch or dinner, but there’s a single moment in my day when I take a break. Every day, I pass by my barber around the corner—just 50 metres from my shop. He’s 84 years old, and every day he insists that I come in.
He doesn’t want me to pay him. He says, “You represent our town. Your moustache has to look good, and your hair has to look good because you represent all of us.” When I’m out of town, I have to send him a picture so he knows everything’s okay. (It’s not okay right now—the humidity is a challenge!)
My barber says, “I’ve become famous at 84 years old thanks to you.” He’s even ended up in tour guidebooks. “Go to the butcher and the barber,” it says. So, that’s what makes me happy if someone wants to call me famous.
ESQ: Is there a cut of meat that’s underrated? Or something people should appreciate more?
DAR: Growing up, we ate all the cuts that were harder to sell in the shop—trotters, muzzle, blood. My grandmother would turn these into beautiful dishes. But it wasn’t just about saving money; it was about respecting the animal and not wasting anything.
I didn’t eat my first T-bone steak until my 18th birthday. That was a special gift, symbolising my transition from boyhood to manhood.
One of my favourite dishes at our restaurant in Panzano is boiled beef knees. Chef Kenny here in Singapore does a fantastic job with them too. You boil the knees, which have both meat and tendon, and use the broth to make a warm salad with julienned carrots, onions, and celery.
ESQ: Do you have a must-eat dish for all visitors coming to Bottega di Carna?
DAR: For sure—tartare. My tartare. Another standout menu item is Chef Kenny’s Oxtail Agnolotti. These are butcher’s cuts, and they’re truly special. It’s hard to choose, but those are two of my favourites.
ESQ: What about a dish that holds the most sentimental value for you?
DAR: Being a butcher is perhaps one of the most difficult jobs in the food world. We’re talking about taking the life of an animal. It’s our responsibility to ensure the animals have a good life and a compassionate death.
For me, our tartare represents that respect. It’s made from one of the toughest cuts of the animal—not the tenderest. We take this hard-working muscle, full of flavour, and tenderise it into a beautiful dish.
It symbolises the work of a butcher—carefully choosing and preparing a cut so that it’s absolutely delicious. It’s a way to honour the animal and show that every part can be equally special.
ESQ: I know you’ve served many big names like Anthony Bourdain and Stevie Wonder. Do you have a favourite customer or any memorable stories?
DAR: Actually, Anthony Bourdain would probably be that person. The last time he came to our shop for lunch was just a week before he passed away. I gave him one of my aprons as a gift and tied it around his head.
We were friends. I remember waving goodbye to him—it was springtime—as he walked away down the road. I said, “Antonio, we’ll see you in August for your next holiday.” That was the last time we saw him. He was a very special person.
But you’ve probably already surmised this based on the brief conversation we shared. Typically, interviews like these undergo considerable condensation and polishing for the sake of clarity and flow. Yet, I felt little edits were necessary here. Cecchini and I don’t speak the same language—his tongue Italian, mine Chinese, with no common bridge in English. His words were carried to me entirely through the graceful translation of his wife. Yet, as we sat diagonally across from one another at a small square table in his restaurant, Bottega di Carna, I realised we didn’t need words for me to grasp his passion and character. His warm smile, gesticulating hands, an excerpt from The Divine Comedy printed on the menu, and even his business card—tucked with salt as a traditional gift symbolising good luck—all spoke to me.
This theme of translation—of words, of passion, of emotions—would echo throughout my experience at his restaurant. As dusk settled and the space gradually filled with members of the media, it was time to explore the dishes Cecchini had so passionately described.
The meal began with a flourish: Dario’s Signature Steak Tartare, the dish to which he attaches the most sentimental value to due to how it encapsulates his zero-waste philosophy. The leanest and toughest cuts of beef are given new life here, though you’d never guess from tasting it. Each component stands out yet works in harmony—Chianti salt unlocks the beef’s natural flavour, lemon adds a vibrant brightness, and Tuscan olive oil coats the back of my tongue.
A standout element is the Beef tendon—a cut uncommon in Italian cuisine reimagined through an arduous process of freezing and frying to create delicate cracker puffs which add textural contrast. The flavours in the dish aren’t intense, far from it—they’re subtle, almost meditative. I had to close my eyes to extract the flavours of the tartare, but in doing so, helped me discern how each ingredient elevated the others. Raw, honest, and unpretentious, it’s no wonder this is Cecchini’s signature dish.
The Basket Tortelli follows up satisfyingly like a warm embrace. The al dente pasta, slightly gummy to the bite, cradles a hearty butternut squash and pumpkin filling, while a pool of Parmigiano Reggiano fondue blankets each piece. Sweetness from the squash meets the creamy, nutty depth of the cheese, achieving a remarkable balance of flavours—all without a hint of meat. Not bad for a butcher.
Next came the Oxtail Agnolotti. In this dish, six-hour-braised oxtail is infused with herbs and vegetables, blended into a velvety filling, and encased in pasta. These parcels float in a capon consommé—a broth made from castrated rooster, known for its richer and slightly sweeter flavour, as Chef de Cuisine Kenny Huang notes whimsically. The robust broth, in contrast with tender Agnolotti creates a deeply comforting bite that’s equally as indulgent.
No visit to Bottega di Carna would be complete without mentioning the Fiorentina T-Bone Bistecca. Before it escapes me, let it be known that the restaurant only uses premium cuts of beef flown in from Viñals Soler, a venerable Spanish butchery with over a century of heritage. My portion was done rarer than I’d prefer, but when the quality of the meat is that high, doneness becomes almost an afterthought. Succulent, well-marbled, and buttery, with a distinct dry-aged funk that emerged with each chew—this was simply put, an excellent steak.
Cecchini, with his warm-hearted smile, mischievous eyes, and unlimited knowledge, is a sort of magister of the flesh. In the same way, my interview with him was translated through his wife, Bottega Di Carna served as a vessel in which his culinary philosophy was seamlessly communicated—respectful, comforting, and sustainable. What you eat from Cecchini are monuments of a tradition, but in the same way, they do not retrace the entire road— choosing a more conscious and poetic attitude towards his love for butchery.
Immediately, the dry ageing room is what catches my eye. Suspended from hooks, whole carcasses of ducks, pigs, cows, and a massive 5-foot tuna bathe in a warm, golden glow. With a name like Butcher’s Block, you’d expect steak to dominate the menu. But Chef de Cuisine Jordan Keao repulses that idea. Butcher’s Block is meant to honour his Hawai’ian heritage, embodying a philosophy of respecting the land and nature's bounties through a zero-waste approach.
And he’s not exaggerating, nothing goes to waste here—not even the residual heat from the flames. In the open-concept kitchen, seemingly decorative slabs of duck and viney herbs dangling high above the open-fire stove are actually using the ambient heat to engage a slow cook that coaxes the deepest aromas out of the produce.
The meal begins with a series of appetisers—Beef Pipikaula, Yellowfin Tuna Poke, and the succulent Grilled Oyster with Lup Cheung. Don’t get me wrong; all accomplish their duties to awaken your palate, but what I really want to do is get into the part of the menu that excites me.
First up: Grilled Jeju Island Abalone. Pardon my ignorance, but as someone who’s always side-eyed my father for dropping 50 bucks on a rubbery, chewy piece of sea snail during Chinese New Year, Chef Jordan has completely enlightened me with his take on abalone. Abalone innards are infused in a risotto-like congee, paired with an airy scoop of potato koji (think of it as an Asian-style mashed potato) to create a warm, soulful bite that defies any chewy notions I previously had of abalones. The crispy rice and seaweeds scattered on top creates an intriguing textural interplay of crispy and gummy—all this culminates in my favourite bite of the meal.
It's no easy task following up a dish so excellent, but the Dry-aged Duck Huli Huli manages quite affably. The duck presents itself in three ways here: fire-roasted, shredded duck leg confit, and an aromatic Portuguese sausage. Each form underscores the culinary breadth of Butcher’s Block, and by extension, the range of Hawai’ian cuisine.
Similarly, the Blackmore Farms Wagyu Trio—the beef adjacent to the Dry-aged Duck Huli Huli—uses three method; grilling, smoking and ambient heat to prepare a trinity of cuts, arranged deliberately around the plate. Though they each differ in preparation, the restaurant’s signature wood-fired flavour unites them all. The smoky, oaky aroma lingering just long enough between each bite to tie beautifully onto the next.
For those searching for that extra oomph, an in-house sommelier is on hand to tailor a wine or Dom Pérignon pairing that will elevate your dining experience from great to truly indelible. Butcher’s Block’s Autumn/Winter IMUA dining experience will be available from now till 2 March 2025.
There is one sentiment shared by everyone who dines at COTE. It is also likely the main motivation to convert from diner to repeat customer. To keep you in suspense, let’s first acknowledge the many accolades driving the hype.
Not only does the restaurant hail from New York as “America’s first Korean Steakhouse”, and notches several James Beard Award nominations under its belt. Not only has it earned a Michelin star each year since opening—literally the only Korean Steakhouse in the world to do so thus far. Not only all of that, but the one that opened here early this year marks the brand’s very first international outpost.
Apart from immediately thinking, damn this place must be really good, let’s also add the fact that Singapore is no stranger to K-BBQs. Whether we’ve tried the crème along Tanjong Pagar or authentic establishments in the country of origin, it’s safe to say we have decent standards in this arena.
At the heart of COTE’s menu are two key tasting experiences. The Butcher’s Feast features four select cuts of USDA Prime and Australian Wagyu with Korean accompaniments, while the 10-course Steak Omakase explores a grand tour of Japanese A5 Wagyu and Petrossian Tsar Imperial Daurenki Caviar.
We’ll simplify this review: Each of the four cuts in Butcher’s Feast did not disappoint. There’s no need for fancy words when the quality of beef and sides speak for themselves.
And then there are interesting dishes like Korean ‘bacon’ (house-smoked heritage pork belly), or even outlet-exclusive Korean Beef ‘Bakkuteh’ (a local spin using prime beef short rib). Still, it’s the Butcher’s Feast that gives you the best value for your money. At SGD98 per pax, it’s a steal for the entirety of your encounter.
Maybe it’s that all the meats are seasoned with a proprietary blend of British Maldon salt, Celtic sea salt, and Korean thousand-day-aged sea salt. Or that the included wines derive from over 600 selections spanning biodynamic, sustainable, vintage depth from both classic wineries and rare blue-chip producers.
The ambience of Millim Bar that greets you on arrival certainly plays a part. Setting the tone with its jazzy interior and pre-dinner drinks, it’s also where you’ll find the dramatic display of cuts dry-aged in-house for a minimum of 45 days. This extends to the dark, elegant Main Dining Hall designed by Modellus Novus with elements of wood and subtle gold.
Tables are inlaid with bespoke smokeless charcoal grills, but the nod to the OG vents mimicked by the overhead lighting is a cute touch. There are, of course, Private Dining Rooms as well as other Ventertainment spaces in the pipeline that will complete an immersive journey. And don’t get us started on service. For now though, what’s already serving awaits to surpass your expectations.
COTE is located at COMO Orchard Level 3, Singapore 229922.
