Piazza Duomo

White truffle pairing menu

The sea... scallop, pumpkin with Alba white truffle

Piazza Duomo is a restaurant like no other. The only Michelin-starred restaurant within the town center of Alba in Italy. A region that is famous for its Alba white truffle, led by chef Enrico Crippa and opened in 2005. At the peak of white truffle season in the winter, Piazza Duomo offers a special 7-course tasting menu that pair with white truffle. Clearly, this restaurant is somewhere special as is one of the handfuls of 3 Michelin-starred venues in Italy, as well as voted 19th in the widely popular World 50 Best awards. The expectation for me was extremely high. As I visited in the winter, it was a no-brainer for me to opt for the truffle-tasting menu.

Hazelnut bread and breadsticks

Selection of welcome snacks, from ragu, and cheese to salad

1815, veal, mushrooms, foie with Alba white truffle

The garden: Artichoke, anchovies with Alba white truffle

The first course of scallops with pumpkin was a sweet umami sensation. The scallop was meaty and buttery, worked so brilliantly with the pumpkin sauce, and the addition of white truffle delivered such an inviting earthy aroma. The veal wellington with foie delivered tones of rich savoury flavour. Well seasoned with a roasting meat sauce that was to die for. the multi-layers texture showcased the creativity of the kitchen. The dish itself was so rich already so I didn't think the white truffle add much to it. For dessert, it is milk served in many ways, from powder, and crunchy form to a milky cream. The white truffle worked wonderfully with the milk, as it added an interesting yet inviting malt aroma. The sweet creamy balance was just perfect, every mouthful was pure joy. This was the best dessert I have encountered in 2022. 

The soil, potato cream, egg with Alba white truffle

The mill: Stuffed cheese pasta with Alba white truffle

The mountain: Vension, chestnut with Alba white truffle

The forest: milk served in muti form with Alba white truffle

7 course of white truffle frenzy, I got to admit some dishes worked better than others with truffle. Some dishes were good enough on their own. For a 3 stars restaurant, I found the presentation pretty standard, which I don't really have an issue with as I would prefer the taste do the talking. So on to the taste, I found it to be at a really top 2 stars level at best, and not really at a 3 stars level. However, what Piazza Duomo is really good at is the sauce, every dish had a well craft sauce that was as good as anywhere. The service was also slick and smooth, without being too formal. The truffle hype means I paid a silly high price, but I am pretty sure its standard-tasting menu without truffles is just as good, if not better.

Food 4.5/5


What I paid: 
£550 pp with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
£275

Piazza Risorgimento, 4, 12051 Alba CN, Italy

http://www.piazzaduomoalba.it/