Carlo e Camillo en Turín, el bistró piamontés e italiano de Davide scabin

Carlo e Camillo in Turin. We're located in the heart of Turin, right where Via Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour meets Via Carlo Alberto. Here, Italian cuisine is presented in its most distinctive and unmistakable flavors. Bistrot Carlo e Camillo is, in a sense, a natural extension of the Michelin-starred Carignano restaurant, a flagship of Turin's gastronomy. The Bistrot, like its older sibling, is designed by Davide Scabin. The chef offers dishes that range from classics to lesser-known regional specialties.

Davide Scabin is the creative director of the Grand Hotel Sitea's restaurant services, which, as mentioned, includes the Carignano restaurant along with the bistro. The chef immediately identified Carlo e Camillo as the place to continue his decades-long research into the founding traits of one of the world's most beloved and recognized gastronomic cultures: Italian cuisine. Scabin himself says that in his forty years of experience, there isn't a single dish or dish he's created that doesn't have a historical connection to his Piedmontese and Italian culinary education. And all of this is evident in a lunch or dinner at the Bistro.

Starting with appetizers, you'll embark on a journey through Piedmontese classics: veal with tuna sauce from Carlo e Camillo (16 euros), classic Russian salad with tuna and smoked salmon (16 euros), or raw Piedmontese Fassona beef (18 euros). For a 360-degree perspective on the history of the Savoy starters, try the "Palazzo Madama tour" (20 euros), highly recommended for sampling all three of the aforementioned dishes in smaller portions.

Because Bistrot Carlo e Camillo aims to be a culinary journey not only through Piedmont but also through Italy, the surprise comes with the first courses. You can choose from spaghettoni all'amatriciana, served, as the original recipe calls for, with guanciale and Amatrice pecorino (18 euros), trofie with Genoese pesto (16 euros), and finally, a trip all the way to Puglia with fresh orecchiette, broccoli rabe, and breadcrumbs.

The second course takes us back to Piedmont. The oven-glazed Fassona ribs are top-notch, served with guacamole and speck-wrapped potatoes (€18). For a lighter meal, the small Piedmontese carpione with giardiniera and fried sage (€18) is also worth a try. The Fassona sausages, delivered directly from a trusted supplier, are also interesting. They are grilled and accompanied with potato crackers and a cabbage and artisanal mustard salad.

"From Brazil" is a unique and interesting section of the menu that cannot escape the most curious palates. The sous chef at Carlo e Camillo is Gustavo Série, a Brazilian chef, who presents two classics from his country. Bobò de Camarão (16 euros), a shrimp stew in cassava cream, and pilaf rice, a typical dish from the state of Bahia, Brazil's culinary capital. It offers a decidedly exotic flavor. But it doesn't end there, because in addition to fish, Brazil also eats a lot of meat, of course, and Frango com quiabo (16 euros) is another famous dish, this time typical of the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.

Bobó is one of the great icons of the cuisine of Bahia, Brazil's culinary capital. A dish of African origin, it is likely a variant of itepé (creamed yam with dried shrimp), a ritual preparation of Candomblé, a religion brought to Brazil by African slaves. Part of the so-called "poor man's cuisine," today Bobó has become a rich and refined dish, yet simple to make: the recipe, completely gluten- and lactose-free, calls for a creamed cassava cooked with shrimp shell broth, flavored with coconut milk and palm oil, and enriched with stewed shrimp. Bobó can be served as an appetizer, a main course, or even as a main dish, accompanied by white rice. The word bobó is adapted from the word bovô, which in the Niger-Congo Fongbê language means soup.

To finish on a sweet note, the must-try desserts are, of course, the traditional Turin Bunet, expertly crafted, and a special panna cotta. Special because it's made in the traditional, now very hard-to-find way, by Carignano's pastry chef, Matteo Dinoia. Baked for three hours, using only egg whites to thicken, and most importantly, with Tahitian vanilla (the most awarded in the world).

Starting in 2024, the "Carlo e Camillo" will also promote meetings and stories, featuring figures who, in their respective professional fields, production, art, teaching, and activism, have taken on responsibility, sometimes sparking true revolutions.

But above all, Bistrot Carlo e Camillo will be open for all holidays at the end of 2023, both Christmas and New Year's Eve. Diners will also be able to order à la carte.

Bistrot Carlo e Camillo. Via Carlo Alberto 35, Turin. Tel. 011 5170171. Website: Instagram.