Hello Monaco magazine Winter 2018 - issue HM02 | Page 77
fine dining
activity – a veritable pandemonium – drawing crowds from Monaco,
France, Italy and all around the globe.
The Fair is a blazing attack on the senses, with a kaleidoscope of shapes
and colours, aromatic delights, and heaven for the taste-buds.
Myriads of white truffle stalls await you. The «perfume» is intoxicating.
Just imagine hundreds of white truffles all under one dome. It will be for
certain the most intense white truffle aroma you will ever experience.
Meander among a potpourri of additional delicacies such as Barolo
wine, grappa, cheese from Bra, tajarin pasta, salamis, desserts, exquisite
chocolate creations, mushrooms of every variety and, not to be missed,
the famous hazelnuts which make up the Ferrero chocolate empire. And
there is still more... chestnuts for roasting from Cuneo.
Savour a range of food delicacies in the restaurant arena – tempt yourself
with shaved white truffles over scrambled eggs, carne cruda (veal
tartare), or a simple tajarin pasta with butter.
By 8pm the Fair is winding down and as evening descends there is
another fabulous dining experience – perhaps at Piazza duomo in
the centre of Alba. Owner Bruno Ceretto says: «the dishes should be
beautiful, accentuated by their perfume; the palate is just a confirmation.
When the dish is finished, it should always leave you with the desire to
eat a little more. Only with yearning can there be real pleasure: there is
always a small gap that cannot be filled, as in love».
«From the Sublime to the
ridiculous – well let’s call
it Pampered Sublime»
I
f your idea of a good truffle hunt is searching for the telephone
number to book a table at a Michelin star restaurant in Monte Carlo,
why not?
One day, waxing enthusiastically to a friend about the prospect of
hiking through the woods with the trifulau and his dog, then back to
the «farmhouse» shirtsleeves up helping prepare the feast to come, my
friend said: «why would I bother to do all that when I can jump in the
Rolls and dine at Louis Quinze?» She does have a point. In Monaco we are
spoiled for choice - all we have to do is triangulate between Chez Bruno in
Lourges, Truffle Gourmet in Place d’Armes and Louis Quinze — never mind
Polpettos and more than a handful of other fine dining establishments.
S
o with money no object and Elon Musk’s hypersonic plane at our
disposal, let’s see where in the world we wish to dine tonight and
what is on the menu:
— Monte Carlo (Louis Quinze)
Scallops from Dieppe with chestnuts, watercress soup and freshly grated
white truffles from Alba
— Paris (Maison de la Truffe)
Poached chicken eggs, Perigueux sauce and Alba white truffle
— London (Little Social)
Jerusalem artichoke risotto with white truffle
— New York (Babbo)
Duck egg sunny-side up with Guanciale and white truffles
— Dubai (Tartufi and friends)
Smoked salmon, sliced sashimi style, white truffle salt, mixed salad and
fresh white truffle
— Hong Kong (Sabatini)
Beef tenderloin carpaccio with rucola and Asagio cheese topped with
shaved white truffles
© upload.wikimedia.org
— Tokyo (Kawamura)
Sea urchin pasta with sliced white truffle / and white truffle ice cream
for dessert.
As for me, I will head for the woods and admire Amadeo as he wags his
tail furiously unearthing another white diamond for his beloved master,
Luigi. This simple authenticity warms my soul. So instead of three Michelin
stars, I will choose a heavenly feast made by Larissa, warming myself by a
roaring fire, feasting on six courses each topped with shaved truffle, good
company and a glass (or two or three!) of Barolo. It will then all be followed
by a glass of Grappa or Limoncello. What is your style of hunt, I wonder?
m Truffle Hunting - Luigi Castino, Azienda Castino
www.castino.it
International White Truffle Fair in Alba – www.fieradeltartufo.org
Tourist Information
m Alba [email protected] T: +39.0173.35833
m Piemonte www.welcomepiemonte.it
m Asti www.astiturismo.it
Where to stay:
m In Neive - Borgese Camera and Suites
www.hotelborgeseneive.com
m In Alba - La Casa Di Cocca, Via Mazzini 2, Alba;
T: +39 340 775 9609
m In Castiglione - Villa Gremi www.villagremi.it
m In Vinchio - CA d ‘Rot www.cadrot.it
Where to Eat:
m Piazza Duomo www.piazzaduomoalba.it
m l’Osteria del Teatro, Via Govone Generale, Alba;
T: +39 0173 34231
m AlbergoMongalletto, Via Priocca, Castellinaldo;
T: +39 0173 213251
m La Briccola, Via Farinetti, Diano d’Alba; T: +39 0173 468513
m Ristorante al Castello, Via del Castello, Grinzane Cavour;
T: +39 0173 262172
«I will head for the woods and admire Amadeo as he wags
his tail furiously unearthing another white diamond for
his beloved master Luigi.»
Hello Monaco – Winter 2018 / 75