La Petite Chinoise : LPC

Part of the work that I do involves helping clients upgrade their financial trading systems. The final stretch often takes place over a long weekend on-site. Upgrading a system is gruelling work as all the work has to be done in a super tight schedule; configuration, DB checks, P&L reconciliation etc., and the new system must be up and running and ready for trading first thing Monday morning.

This past weekend I was in Milan for such a project. Fortunately I took an earlier flight and had 2 hours to walk around the city centre. Milan looked beautiful, welcoming and alive in the yellow warm sunshine. My friend, Laura had eagerly insisted that I visit Peck, a gourmet delicatessen.

The first thing I see when I walked into Peck is the cheese counter: huge nuggets of mozzarella cheese made from water buffalo milk, enormous wheels of Capocollo parmesan cheese and a sample of all the cheeses produced in Italy. The kitchen is towards the back of the store which prepares the foods sold at the traiteur counters. One of the traiteurs tells me that everything in Peck is made daily and only the best, freshest and finest Italian ingredients (keyword: Italian). The ground floor also offers a bakery, pastry shop, freshly made pasta counter, olive oil shelves, fresh vegetables section, fresh ham and dried ham counters.

When all the shopping is done, we can head to the café on the first floor. All you have to do is follow the rich aroma of roasted coffee when you are close to the lift or staircase. Coffee grains are also sold on the first floor. Peck’s wine cellar is in the basement and houses more than 600 types of Italian wine. They keep the wine cellar very cool and it’s possible to sample wines. Good stakeout place especially in the heat of the summer.

As I am me and I always ask questions, I asked the store manager why Peck, an Italian gourmet store, has a Germanic name. Francesco Peck was originally from Prague and was a ham-seller. In 1883, he set up shop in Milan. Peck was sold 25 years later to Eliseo Magnaghi who managed it till 1956 who in turn sold it to Grazioli. The current owners are the 4 Stoppani brothers who bought the store in 1970. The managers was also quick to tell me that all store owners loved Peck and strived to keep the spirit and high quality of Italian food, a knowledge that has been passed from generation to generation.

After lingering in Peck for an hour, I left with a small bottle of “Reserve” balsamic vinegar, aged 5 years, a small tin of extra virgin olive oil, a bottle of tomato sauce, 4 thin slices of San Daniele ham, 3 barquettes of selections from the traiteur and a mini foccacia with rosemary. I quickly headed to the piazza in front of the Il Doumo church, which is a stone’s throw away from Peck and savoured my first meal in Milano. Thanks for the tip, Laura!

Verdict: Service is friendly. Excellent choice of gourmet Italian food at Peck, but it sure doesn’t come cheap!

Peck
Via Spadari 9, Milan, Italy
Tel: + 39 02 802 3161