A trip on the meridian and dinner with the Savoy foot soldier: a day in Mondovi, Part II

"Cuddles and quality" - these are the two key words that best describe the restaurant's cooking philosophy, along with a fair quality-price ratio that makes it accessible to both families and young people.

"In this frenetic age we would like to let you carve out a little slice of time from your day to sit at a table and relax in complete serenity, savouring a good glass of wine and appreciating every single aromatic nuance, and enjoying the dishes cooked for you by our chef, the result of travels, experiences and passion": this is the ars poetica of the restaurant, summed up in a few effective lines that we read in the introduction of the menu, with its refined and original graphics recalling the design of the venue, from the decorations on the main door to the style of the logo with the foot soldier, also transferred onto a large metal plate at the entrance, skilfully cut by a young artist. The menu changes often and is based on Italian tradition with particular regard for the Piedmontese one, also offering various novelties.

"We use local products, including something almost forgotten such as buckwheat. We make everything in-house, and we place great emphasis on freshness. If a product runs out, I prefer to tell the customer it's finished; for me it's unthinkable to replace it with something industrial," the owner explains as we begin to taste some tasty bruschetta and excellent cured meats offered to us as a "little starter", while waiting for the courses. We also taste a very good giardiniera, another treat that introduces us to the world of the typical good things of the territory. "We focus on a few dishes per course, and soon we will also have a fixed-price, reduced 'tradition menu' for families and tourists. The fish arrives fresh every morning, and for meat we use Piedmontese veal.

On the menu we always have a dish that is very well known and loved by everyone, firmly present in the collective culinary imagination, such as spaghetti cacio e pepe or pasta with garlic, oil and chilli. A reassuring touch on one hand allows us a flash of imagination on the other: in fact, we also offer novelties, dishes revisited with a bit of healthy experimentation. We care about innovation, but always based on the traditional raw materials of the territory and following the seasonality of the products, very often organic," the chef adds. As soon as we begin to taste the first courses, we find full confirmation of the restaurant's motto, which we saw written on a canvas at the entrance: "You always cook thinking of someone, otherwise you are just preparing food." A few effective words to sum up the chef's secret.

We start with a tasty millefeuille of tongue with carasau bread and green sauce, and we also taste a homemade skewer with a cream of vegetables, but we also very much like the pumpkin cream with oven-baked egg, raschera and black salt. After this rich starter, part of our group chooses an irresistible classic first course, spaghetti cacio e pepe. In its simplicity, it proves a very apt and much appreciated choice. We certainly don't give up tasty treats linked to tradition such as buckwheat tagliolini with tomato, black taggiasca olives and capers, or a savoury rustic veloute in a crust. The sea-loving souls instead opt for linguine with red pesto and the catch of the day, a fresh dish that recalls summer.

We wash down these delicacies with excellent wines that allow us to take a tour of Italy, though we concentrate on Piedmontese labels, among which we find both important names of certain impact and lesser-known wineries of small wine producers that nonetheless guarantee an excellent quality-price ratio. Chatting with the owner we discover that among his projects there is also that of creating a visitable cellar, so who knows, perhaps in a while we will be able to return here also for tastings or events organised in the wine bar. Among the main courses, the ingot of Piedmontese veal with pepper immediately wins us over, while those dreaming of the sea enjoy a heart of seared tuna fillet with aromatic bread, pistachios and a little salad of red cabbage, savoy cabbage and avocado with balsamic vinegar.

The stuffed cuttlefish are also irresistible, and some also opt for a tasty house burger with cannellini bean sauce scented with rosemary. Finally, we have only to give in to the sweet temptations of the house desserts, skilfully made by Sergio. We thus discover well-known desserts, but made with a creative touch such as the orange tiramisu or the panna cotta with berries, cocoa crumble and amaretto. Some of our friends choose as dessert a veritable plant: the chocolate soils, served in a little pot, with a small plant of aromatic herbs, to be watered with liquid jam. A real spectacle, both to see and to taste. No less impressive is the Martini royal rose, a dessert cocktail, made of prosecco, Martini rosso and orange juice, brought to a solid state, like jelly.

The taste is very particular and pleasant, somewhere between sweet and pleasantly bitter, not to mention its beneficial digestive effects. At the end of dinner some enjoy artisan liqueurs, and we don't even give up a nice organic coffee to be followed by a couple of sweets offered by the house. After this beautiful day we are certain we will soon return to the meridian of Mondovi, we will greet with a smile the tireless Moro who managed to deceive the Napoleonic troops, and we will come to eat with pleasure at the Savoy foot soldier's.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Ristorante Il Fante Sabaudo Piazza d'Armi, 2 Mondovi (CN) Tel.: 0174/47682 Cell.: 366 957 4925 Facebook: Il Fante Sabaudo