vo would be a more comfortable fit in london or new york. in turin, its ultra modern decor with bright lighting is in stark contrast to turin’s other eateries that have dim lighting and soft earthy and beige tones. but where its decor may be modern its food is traditional. o and i both settled for the traditional menu which came highly recommended by i’s dad.
the chef’s compliments were a ball of raw meat with a little salt, some lemon and rocket leaves dressed with olive oil. accompanying this was bread, small rounds of white bread some of which were flecked heavily with rosemary and grissini.
we started on ‘vitello tonnato’, an appetiser of veal and tuna sauce. the presentation was simple and flawless: four thin slices of lightly seared veal folded into half with a smooth tuna sauce in their fold on one side, and a line of rocket leaves on the other. there was complete silence on o’s and my side of the table, a testimony to the flavour in the food. our first course was a traditional ravioli ‘agnolotti with sugo d’arrosto’. served in quintessential shallow pasta bowls, these were small little squares of fresh ravioli with a meat stuffing. they glistened in their coat of roasted meat sauce which stained them to a brown.
the second course was ‘stracotto with mashed potato’; a large medallion of beef slow cooked for ten hours in a red wine sauce. it was served on a bed of mashed potatoes with a stalk of rosemary. the meat had a glossy darkened skin and a full intense flavour. the sauce was a dense red wine with a slightly molasses edge.
to finish, we had the chef’s version of a gianduja bar which was a thick chocolate bar shaped dessert, coated with a glossy dark chocolate with a centre of a nutty gianduja mousse and a thin vanilla custard. gianduja is turin’s ultimate chocolate and therefore a perfect end to a traditional menu. o’s dessert had him so transfixed that he could barely speak.
via andrea provana| 3/d| torino
