A spectacular open kitchen is the showcase chosen by chef Luca Tomasicchio as a symbolic destination of his long journey around the world researching the secrets of haute cuisine: from his experience matured at the court of Alajmo and Cracco in Italy, up to Fat Duck in England and the Hostellerie de Plaisance in France, passing through Japan and Luxembourg.
Tola Rasa was born in 2015, in the place where a historic city restaurant once stood, and restarts from Luca’s Venetian roots, as evidenced by the choice of the name which in the Venetian dialect means “table spread”.

The restoration of the building that houses the restaurant was inspired, in a minimal-chic way, by the shape of a cathedral, a metaphor for the “cathedral of taste” that Luca has masterfully recreated inside. The three floors of the building are, in fact, all dedicated to food-tasting: the ground floor houses the wine bar, the basement the wine cellar, the first floor the beautiful restaurant, while the attic is just perfect for private dinners and events.
The absolute protagonist of the restaurant is a beautiful open kitchen that the chef has designed himself in order to make his brigade protagonist of the privileged love affair between the raw material and his customers.

The decor is minimal chic, studied in every detail: from the very comfortable white leather chairs designed by Favaretto & Partners, to the lights by Vibia, up to the works of art on the walls (that change over time and can also be purchased) by the French artist Mark Dhan and the Paduan designer Sonia Strukul. The mise en place boasting Fürstenberg porcelain was literally created by Luca: both the napkins, on which he had the beautiful phrase “Everything has Beauty” embroidered, and the mahogany placemats, which the chef himself made by hand with the precious discarded wood from the processing of the shelves of the room.

Luca’s cuisine is that of the Italian tradition that works on the freshness of the raw material transformed as little as possible in order to enhance its flavors to full. As a symbol of this philosophy, we can mention dishes such as the fried shrimps and vegetables with lime-scented mayonnaise and the Vegetable Garden, a recipe consisting of 10/15 vegetables processed with different cooking techniques and seasoning that highlights Luca’s great passion for herbs and vegetables.
To pair up the menu, an excellent selection of Italian wines especially from wineries that treat the grapes with natural methods.
Book for dinner the table in front of the open kitchen and enjoy the show that only the taste of the best Italian cuisine can offer!

The Secret

Luca relies on a few suppliers because he loves shopping, a ritual that he “consumes” every morning before arriving at his restaurant to be sure to offer his customers fresh and personally selected products every day!

Useful Info

Tola Rasa
Via Vicenza 7
35138 Padova
Tel. +39 049 723032

First courses: 18 — 20 euro
Second courses: 10 — 24 euro
Tasting menu: 90 euro