'Of a dubious taste': Amoy St restaurant apologises after Italy's ambassador to Singapore criticises its mafia-themed event

An Italian restaurant has apologised after it was criticised by Italy’s Ambassador to Singapore for trying to hold a mafia-themed night.

Gotti Italiano, which is along Amoy Street in Chinatown, had put up a Facebook post promoting the event titled Hip Hop Mafioso, in the days leading up to the March 8 event. Its promotional poster featured American hip-hop artists Snoop Dogg and Tupac.

In a Facebook post on March 8, ambassador Dante Brandi said that the mafia is not something Italy is proud of.

“People have died and suffered because of it and most importantly... (people) are still dying and suffering to fight it,” said Mr Brandi.

“Naming your club after an infamous criminal family and catching clients with an ‘Hip Hop Mafioso’ night is certainly not illegal, but allow me to say, is definitely of a dubious taste.”

‘Gotti’ is commonly associated with infamous American crime boss John Gotti, who was the head of the notorious Gambino crime family in New York City.

In 1992, he was convicted of five murders, conspiracy to commit murder, racketeering and extortion, among other crimes. He died in prison in 2002, after being diagnosed with throat cancer.

In a comment under Mr Brandi’s post, the restaurant apologised for the offence and discomfort that its actions had caused.

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“We deeply appreciate your perspective and understand the concerns you’ve raised regarding our branding and event names,” said Gotti, adding that the team has taken down all social media posts promoting the event.

“(We) are committed to ensuring that our present and future branding and promotional activities will be mindful and respectful to Italian culture and history.”

Mr Dante, 52, is a veteran diplomat who assumed his Singapore posting on Sept 1, 2023. He is also concurrently Italy’s Ambassador to Brunei and in 2018, was appointed Consul General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Some of his previous posts include serving as the Italian embassy’s Chief of Staff in Washington DC, heading the economic-commercial office of the Italian embassy in London and acting as the deputy executive director for Italy at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The Straits Times has contacted Gotti Italiano for more information.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.