Osteria dell'Arco

Hearty mood, Piemonte style

Goat cheese fondue with Alba white truffle

Located in the heart of the town square of Alba, Italy. Osteria dell'Arco is a highly regarded traditional Piemonte restaurant that is known for its slow-cooked dishes. In the winter, when is at peak Alba white truffle season, the restaurant like to add a touch of luxury on top with white truffles added to selected dishes. White truffle is a serious business in Alba, a typical dish at Osteria dell'Arco would cost around 15 euros, but as soon as some white truffle is added, it will shoot to around the 45 euro mark.

Stuffed pepper with anchovies paste

Baked onion with cheese fondue

Stuffed cheese ravioli with Alba white truffle

Mushrooms and Chesnut with black truffle

I can't escape tajarin whenever I visit an Italian restaurant, Osteria dell'Arco's version with a rich tomato sausage ragu was simplicity at its best. The umami, sweet and sour taste was bold with a little addition of parmesan cheese made it such a mouthwatering dish. The white truffle on agnolotti stuffed with cheese fondue was an explosion in bursting taste with a salty and nutty taste from the fondue. It was really powerful to the level I would say it is good enough without the need for the truffle. What really got me singing was the traditional Finanziera. It had a mixture of mushrooms, livers, kidneys and sweetbread, slow-cooked to perfection. It was not overly gamy, with a well-balanced sweet and sour taste from the wine and broth.

Tajarin with sausage ragu

Slow-cooked veal in Barolo wine

Finanziera

Beef tripe stew

Osteria dell'Arco has indeed turned traditional dishes into such a fine form, leveraging the great quality local ingredients from around the region, with great temperature control. I found the slow-cooked dishes were especially outstanding, which was perfect as I visited in the winter time. Truffle or not, this is a great restaurant in Alba and a good intro to showcase what traditional Piemonte cuisine is all about.

Food 3.5/5


What I paid: 
£75 pp with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
£50

Piazza Michele Ferrero, 5, 12051 Alba CN, Italy

http://www.osteriadellarco.it/