Gaddi, in the Bible, Manassite sent by Moses into Canaan.

Gaddi, celebrated family of Florentine artists. Gaddo Gaddi, c.1260-c.1333, painter and mosaicist, is said by Vasari to have been associated with Cimabue and Giotto. Among the mosaics attributed to him are those in the portico of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, and Coronation of the Virgin, over the portal in the Florence cathedral. His son, Taddeo Gaddi, c.1300-c.1366, was a favorite pupil and godson of Giotto, whom he assisted for 24 years. He became the leader of Florentine painting after his master's death. His works include the ceiling painting and a series of frescoes representing scenes from the life of the Virgin in the Baroncelli Chapel in Santa Croce, Florence; the fine Last Supper in the refectory of the same church; remains of frescoes in San Francesco, Pisa; altarpieces (Naples; Berlin; and the Uffizi); and Madonna with Saints (Santa Felicita, Florence). Taddeo's son, Agnolo Gaddi, c.1350-1396, a pupil of his father and of Giovanni di Milano, was also a follower of Giotto. His works are somewhat rigid in design and lack imagination. Among them are frescoes of the Story of the True Cross (Santa Croce, Florence); Life of the Virgin (cathedral, Prato); and four paintings in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Gaddi's is a French haute cuisine restaurant situated in The Peninsula Hong Kong hotel. It was opened in 1953 and named after a former general manager of The Peninsula, Leo Gaddi. The current executive chef is Britain's David Goodridge. The former executive chef was Philip Sedgwick, the first British head chef of Gaddi's.

Decor

The decor is meant to evoke old Hong Kong. and the hotel's original 1928 neoclassical architecture. It has an European dining room, with two six-foot crystal-and-silver chandeliers from Paris, Tai Ping carpets, and a Chinese coromandel screen dating from 1670.

Gaddi's uses expensive tableware, which includes polished antique silverware and Bernardaud fine chinaware. It also created the first Chef's Table in Hong Kong where the Chef Table diners sit at a special table beside the Gaddi's kitchen viewing the dishes being prepared.

Food

Gaddi's was considered the best European restaurant in Hong Kong for a long time, but that reputation has since been challenged by a number of new restaurants that opened in recent years. The food is classically French but with inventive European influences. Online Frommer's review

The food is classic French haute cuisine and utilizes the highest-quality products imported from various countries. Examples of past dishes include:

• Raw-marinated foie gras with toasted brioche
• Twice-cooked pork belly with mustard risotto
• Bitter herb salad and balsamico sauce
• Specially selected American Black Angus Sirloin baked in a rosemary and salt crust with pea puree
• Roquefort fritters and pan-fried rye bread with melted Camembert and oscietra caviar

There is a ten course tasting menu which lets the diners taste a sample of many of Gaddi's famous dishes.

The wine cellar is among the best and largest in Hong Kong, with a collection of rare vintages.

In a 2006 Independent feature on romantic dining, author Alexandra Antonioni wrote:

"They don't make restaurants like this any more and everyone should dine at Gaddi's at least once in their lifetime. Nothing can touch it for glamour and sheer indulgence."

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