Vegan Turin

17 March 2017 We have arrived in Turin. In spite of the pollution we are excited to be here. In summer 2016 Turin’s new mayor, announced plans to make Turin a “vegetarian city”. She gives reasons such as “environment”,and "the health of our children”. She has a five year plan which includes education in schools about health, the environment and animal welfare. She plans to have a meat free day each week for the whole city, and vegetarian map of the city for tourists. There are already over 30 vegan/vegetarian outlets in Turin. 

 

Of course there has been predicitable resistance from the meat industry.  However one butcher is reported as saying that his sales have dropped 40-50% “because veganism has become so fashionable."

 

So we are here to enjoy the vegan offerings of the city!

 

Our first foray out to eat was in the evening, Friday night. The first place we phoned was booked out. The second was not answering their phone, so we went anyway- they were booked out. We used our phone App “HappyCow” to find another possible venue. This time we were in luck- they had one table which was booked for later in the evening, so as long as we didn’t linger too long we were able to eat there. This speaks well for the success of vegan restuarants in Turin!

 

The place we ate at was called "Gorilla”. It is a wine bar with burgers and a couple of simple dishes on the menu, all vegan. The wine was not vegan though, rather it was “bio”. Bio is a sustainable agriculture movement, stressing low food miles, local produce. It seems to have taken off in Europe, though we haven’t heard of it in Australia. Gorilla has a very energetic and youthful vibe. There was a lot of coversation at the bar and quite loud music. It seems there is a lively vegan social scene here. The food was good but not great. The atmosphere very nice. 

 

18 March. Today we went to a concept supermarket called "Eataly”. It is a new way of presenting food, with eateries mixed in with the produce, and stalls rather like a farmers market. It seems to stress fresh food, including Bio food. We found some vegan products that we don’t have at home, but not as much as we expected. We did find fresh pecans, and great olives.

 

  

We did indulge in a specialty of Turin - the hazel-nut chocolate. It was not vegan but had a low milk content. We read that this treat, developed in Turin was the precursor of nutella. It certainly was rich and delicious! (This is a very small cup).

 

 

The eateries were seperated into “verdure” (vegetables), “frommage" (cheeses) and “Carne” (meats). We had a bean soup which was vegan. 

 

 

 

Tonight we have a table booked at "Chiodi Latini New Food". This fine dining restaurant is owned by a chef who was known for his beautiful meat cookery before he himself went vegan a few years ago. Since late 2016 he has run his vegan restaurant in the hills overlooking Turin. We have high hopes for a great eating experience!

 

19th March.

 

Last night we did eat at Chiodi Latini New foods and what a fabulous experience it was. We were ushered upstairs in a heritage building in the hills above Turin. The New Foods resturaunt is seperate from the original restaurant which is still serving meat. It was explained to us that it is also a temporary restaurant, with plans to find a new venue for it in Turin if it is successful. 

 

 

The tables were set with starched white table cloths, and the service was expert and personalised. The chef presented each dish personally, and explained it (in italian). The service attendant then translated this into English and answered questions before leaving us to enjoy the food. Pasta was handmade in our presence by the chef’s wife. 

 

The meal started with a smoothie of carrot and pomegranite juice (and other ingredients) which was a rosy colour and very balanced in taste, not too sweet. There was also a clear broth of artichoke and celery juice presented. This had a delicate taste which was quite pleasing and went well with the wine but was overpowered by the smoothie, in my opinion. The wine was ‘natural”, produced with local grapes and traditional methods, without  preservatives, and was delicious. i think the smoothie would have been better presented later in the evening with the dessert. 

 

And then came the food. The meal was a 5 course degustation, fully vegan, celebrating vegtables and beautifully presented of course. Some of the vegetables presented included artichokes, chickpeas, turnips, sweet onions, a local leafy green which was new to us. Everything was very artful. One dish was called “Trump’s Confusion” and had a tangle of fine greens and one of a pale colour (representing his hair). 

We had requested the 5 course degustation, but after 5 courses, although we were comfortably full we opted for the last 2 courses, just to see what he would come up with next! But then we were over full!

 

 

The desert course was a poached and chocolate filled pear, with aquafaba meringue chips on the side. Delectable!

 

Lastly we were presented with handmade vegan chocolates, and small commercial chocolates ascending in cocoa content to 100% cocoa. And of course espresso coffee. 

The service attendant also showed us his choise of the best Italian olive oil, and we sampled it with bread as is the custom. He explained that good olive oil is not cheap, and that cheap oils do have non-olive oil fillers. 

 

Unfortunately my photos of the food failed. I didn’t take in my camera so as not to be too intrusive. I wish i had, but I have borrowed some photos from the facebook page of the restaurant, with permission. 

 

So we left feeling well served and very satisfied. This was certainly the highlight of our Turin experience. If only I could say we would return…. but we are off into France tomorrow.