Venice made simple

Fresh lobster salad. [Photo provided to China Daily]

It's a bad translation," he says.

"It's really a very savory dish. You fry lots of onions, then fry the sardines with vinegar, and then add more vinegar at the end for preserving."

The sardine preparation represents an old tradition from the ancient traders' era, he adds. Spices like cinnamon, bay leaf and pepper came to Venice when it was the fabled terminus of the Maritime Silk Road and quickly spread into cuisines around the Mediterranean.

Besides pursuing the freshest ingredients at the market, Turco encourages the foodies gathered for the three-hour cooking session to keep things simple.

"I'm not a big fan of complicated prep," he says.

"It's very important to preserve the center of the plate. A nice piece of sea bass, with a bit of fresh asparagus or artichoke, for example, gives you a very good product."

Turco's kitchen reflects a food scene that has evolved a lot since a decade ago. Locals say the city was cluttered with mediocre restaurants that could thrive by relying not on good food but on their eye-candy locations near St. Mark's Square and other tourist hotspots.

Now, an influx of five-star hotels sited in vintage properties like Venice's medieval palaces have raised expectations and standards.