Eat Like Ushi

Italy and gelato. There aren't many other things to trawl through place after place in Italy. Everywhere you read online will point you in directions of favourites and the reality is all of the ones I visited are good, because they generally have to be;

If in doubt, look for somewhere that states Gelato Artigianale which translates to homemade gelato. Some say those in metal tins with closed lids are more authentic and retain flavour longer also. But with the quality and turnover, I don't think it makes too much difference.

My benchmark is pistachio flavour and generally the murkier green or lighter brown, the better. I tried pistachio nearly everywhere which ranged from light to intense, sweet to nutty. Each was slightly different and I can't say I didn't like any of them. There were no hints of ice or crystals. However trying to pick my favourite of the lot is indeed difficult. I think one of the best was in Vernazza - considering the location in the middle of a plaza, it was a pleasant surprise - check the light brown pistachio on the right of the photo.

- Gelato Passione (Rome) - great pistachio and tiramisu
- Fior di Luna (Rome) - no photo
- Giolitti (Rome) - known mainly for creamy flavours, but melon was very good
- Ciampini (Rome)
- Carabe (Florence)
- Gelateria Perche No! (Florence)
- La Carraia (Florence)
- Antica Gelateria Fiorentina (Florence)
- Slurp! (Monterosso, Cinque Terre)
- Gelateria Artigianale Vernazza (Vernazza, Cinque Terre)

I hit all these gelato places around Italy within 6 days. My list was still longer. Here's the ones I didn't make: Gelateria dei Neri, Vivoli, Gelateria Santa Trinita, Grom (all in Florence), Gelateria Il Porticciolo (Vernazza).

I flew to Turin (Fiorio) as the airport stopover to the white truffle festival. I had an extremely creamy version in Alba (Darios), where after I tried their delicious gelato pistachio and nocciola, the shopowner made me come back on the day it was made fresh. The texture was smooth and untouchable.

Turin dining turned out to be more disappointing than I anticipated. Considering the Piedmont region is well regarded for food and not particularly heavily touristed, I found it surprising my choices were subpar.

On this cold rainy evening, I had tried to book at the two restaurants that really had my interest and intent - Kido-ism (a Japanese chef with fusion Italian cuisine, TA #2) and Combal.O (a reputedly amazing Italian molecular gastronomy restaurant that has featured in the San Pellegrino Top 50). Unfortunately these were booked out on a Saturday night. The last option was for a more local experience at Ristorante Il Circolo dei Lettori, but I decided to pick La Conca which also had favourable reviews and much better location very close to where I was staying near the train station.

I'm disappointed I went and sat amongst predominantly English speaking diners for a meal that was very average.

- Agnolotti di Plin alla Piemontese - typical Piedmont ravioli topped with parmigiano reggiano. Adequately cooked al dente although not particularly tasty nor special.
- Braciola Frentana - involtini of pork filled with celery, carrot and pancetta and topped with a tomato-based sauce. Very average overcooked pork outside with an inspired filling.

Next time I would order at another place. I suppose this restaurant is convenient if you are staying near the main train station and don't want to go far, but I would suggest putting a bit more effort and not joining the rest of the tourists and American businessmen who come here.

Considering the food reputation of Piedmont, it was unexpectedly difficult to find good information about restaurants in Turin. Perhaps it is because the city isn't often high on traveller's to-do lists. In any case I was quite excited by the reviews of Tre Galline - well reputed on a blog of someone living in Turin, decent reviews on Tripadvisor mostly by Italians, and even on a cold night where people kept off the street, Tre Galline was still full of Italian customers with more being turned away at the door.

Given it was white truffle season, the recommendations of the place were white truffle dishes and the bollito misto - the specialty dish of Piedmont.

- Starter - parsley, garlic, anchovies in a paste on a slice of pork;
- Tajarin Pasta with Butter Sauce topped with Fresh White Truffles - a rich buttery pasta with mild white truffle scent but slightly disappointing amount of taste;
- Bollito Misto - a selection of boiled meats (ox tail, veal, cheek, shin, tongue, pork sausage, chicken) with a chicken consumee and candied fruit in a thick horseradish gel. It was served with horseradish, apple & grape, mayonaisse, and tomato sauces. Sadly the meat was boiled in tasteless water, with the only meat with decent texture and not overcooked being the ox tail and shin (ie. those made for prolonged cooking). A surprising number of diners were ordering this - I wonder if they were as disappointed as me.

Next time I would order something else. It seems to be very popular with locals and for that reason alone I would give this place a try again for other dishes.