DINING

Classic cuisine with a twist

At ‘Le Vitel Étonné’ customers can sample traditional Piedmontese dishes, subtly re-imagined to suit contemporary tastes. The menu is enhanced by an extensive list of regional wines. By Chiara Zaccarelli

Located in the heart of the centre, just steps from Palazzo Reale and the Mole, this small restaurant serves traditional regional dishes including, first and foremost, “vitello tonnato”, a specialty that the Piedmontese call Vitel Tonné as a tribute to their foreign cousins. The name of the restaurant stems from a play on the words “tonné” and “étonné”, meaning “surprised” or “amazed” in French. The menu features a selection of must-try strictly homemade fresh pasta dishes. Specialties include classic Tajarin, prepared according to a traditional recipe with 36 egg yolks per kilo of flour, served with an array of sauces, agnolotti, tagliatelle with Bra sausage and Plin. Main dishes, also based on traditional recipes, are cooked at low temperatures in hay, or breaded with classic Torinese grissini (breadsticks). Depending on the season and the catch of the day, the restaurant also offers customers a choice of seafood options. Standouts on the dessert menu include mascarpone cream, sprinkled with bitter chocolate, on a chocolate biscuit base, or gelato and sorbets prepared inhouse using seasonal ingredients. The locale’s 19th century cellar, featuring barrel vaults and open brick walls, hosts more than 300 Italian labels, with a focus on Piedmontese reds. If you enjoy watching the chefs at work, grab a seat in the welcoming ground floor dining room, opposite the open-plan kitchen. Please note: unlike most local eateries, the locale is open non-stop from midday to midnight. So, if you suddenly get a craving for tajarin at 5pm, you’ll know where to go!

>> www.leviteletonne.com Via San Francesco da Paola, 4. T: 011 8124621. Map H4