What I ate Vegan in Turin, Italy
After finding out that Turin is Italy's first veggie city I just had to go and check it out for the weekend.
Ratatouille
After arriving in Turin by train I took the walk out of the centre to Ratatouille, it is a fully vegan restaurant and bakery with seating inside and outside. The extensive menu offers antipasti, salads, primi and secondi piatti and side dishes. I opted for the 'tasting plate' which was €12, 50 and I had the choice of 33 options, choosing one starter, first course, second course and side dish.
The waitress was very helpful and spoke a little English too. While I was waiting for my meal I was offered some lentil chips which were very well received! As you can see, I got drawn in by the carbs and ended up with a carb heavy tasting plate that was delicious. I chose hummus to start (I was also offered bread), spinach and vegan ricotta filled pasta with a soya mince ragu and vegan cheese, meatballs made with seitan, potato, tofu and cashew with vegan mayo and potato wedges.
All elements of my meal were really tasty (despite the lack of vegetables due to my carby choices!) and I would recommend the tasting plate as there is just far too much choice on the menu other wise!
When I saw the desserts, pastries and ice creams available at Ratatouille I couldn't resist trying one. They had a huge range of homemade biscuits and pastries, including about 8 different filled croissants. I decided to try the 'biscotto' that was available in chocolate, vanilla choc chip and vanilla.
It was two caramel filled waffles filled with chocolate ice cream and nuts and then coated in more chocolate and nuts.
I hadn't realised originally that these 'biscuits' were caramel filled waffles which did make it pretty heavy after my carb filled lunch. Although there was no way I could finish it, this was a deliciously indulgent treat.
Gorilla
That evening, I decided to try Gorilla cocktail bar for some tapas style dishes. Gorilla is a trendy, stylish bar offered countless cocktails and spirits. I couldn't decide what I wanted and ended up simply asking the barman to make me a sweet cocktail with some rum in it. Whatever it was, was delicious and refreshing!
The tapas menu consisted of 12 dishes that were in a 3 for €15 offer which included a cocktail. I opted for the 'Gorilla baked potatoes', the 'Vellutata' with crunchy seeds, which was courgette soup made with potato, mint and ginger and the 'Open Avocado' which was avocado, paprika, seeds and cress on thinly sliced toasted bread.
All three dishes were incredible. The ingredients were so simple but the flavours worked so well together and it was most definitely simple food, done well. The whole menu was vegan although this wasn't openly advertised, I imagine this only helps broaden their market.
My whole experience at Gorilla was great, the bar has a great vibe in the evening and is a lovely place to go for a drink with friends, the food is light and delicious and I would recommend it to anyone. It's just a shame I was too full to try one of the 4 desserts on offer- the dark chocolate brownie took my fancy!
Allegroitalia Golden Palace Hotel
I wanted to mention my hotel breakfast as I was really impressed by the choice. I stayed at the Allegroitalia hotel and although I would not normally stay in a hotel this upmarket, I got a great deal on it! When booking online I asked whether vegan breakfast was available and at check in they confirmed that I had requested this. The breakfast was a buffet and I was amazed to find labelled vegan options. At the cereal counter there was soya yoghurts, soya milk and rice milk.
The buffet had a huge selection of cakes and pastries and offered two small biscuits, one chocolate cake and a selection of croissants that were vegan. I also helped myself to muesli, fruit and bread and jam.
The whole breakfast was delicious , the croissant and chocolate cake particularly. I was amazed by the options freely available, I assume this was not just for me but I'm glad I requested a vegan breakfast, it was definitely worth it.
Coox
Coox fine vegan restaurant offers a huge selection of starters, first and second courses, sides and desserts. As seemed to be the trend in Turin, I was spoilt for choice. As I wasn't too hungry I opted for a first course only but it was clear to see there was the option for a 3 or 4 course feast! The options were mostly Italian with some veganised classics on offer, there was also some more 'exotic' options including fajitas.
I decided to try the 'Spaghetti Crema Noci' which was made with 'cream of walnuts', pine nuts and vegan cheese. It was so delicious and creamy and was really satisfying.
As you can see, it went down well!
Il Gelato Amico
Before leaving Turin I just had to try Il Gelato Amico as it is a fully vegan gelateria! You may know by now that I love my ice cream, vegan ice creams are not difficult to find here in Italy with a couple of vegan options available in most gelaterias. However, Gelato Amico make most of their flavours from rice milk and offer so many delicious sounding choices.
I decided to go for Gianduia, a deliciously dark, creamy chocolate ice cream made with hazelnut paste and Stracciatella, a simple vanilla with dark chocolate pieces. Both flavours were amazing, they were light and creamy yet rich in flavour.
As you can see, Turin is full of choice for vegans and vegetarians. All the restaurants I went to were fully vegan but of course there are also many vegetarian restaurants too and restaurants offering vegan and veggie options. I truly was spoilt for choice all weekend.
Both Ratatouille and Coox (along with some of the other restaurants I had looked up before visiting) offer more traditionally Italian 3 and 4 course meals. As I was travelling alone and trying to pack in as much delicious food as I could in one weekend this wasn't really what I was looking for. I found this to be the difference between Turin and other Italian cities, I have found the vegan choices to be in generally alternative or fast food restaurants.
If you're vegan or veggie and visiting Italy, Turin is a must!