Being right-on in Milan is about as fashionable as a purple rinse. This is no obstacle to eco-entrepreneur Marco Roveda, who opened the most environmentally friendly, fair-trade, all-organic of restaurants in Milan in 2003 (now called Lifegate Café Bistro).

Designed according to 21st-century trends (chic chunky black wooden tables and chairs, oversized statement lighting, whitewashed walls), this is eco-indulgence minus the hairshirts and nut roast austerity. Roveda also runs Lifegate radio (the restaurant’s soundtrack) and Lifegate magazine (whose framed covers are used to decorate the restaurant).

Lifegate’s message is to reduce our impact: trees are planted after every customer, much of the interior is reclaimed, and the food and wine – Mediterranean with ethnic influences – is 100% organic with many vegan choices. For transparency, the glass-fronted kitchen can be seen from the street – there’s nothing to hide here.