Thursday, 4 October, 2018 25C
Liat’s brother and dad were coming to Torino and, if they wanted, we could combine numbers and go to the Gobino Chocolate Factory in Vanchiglietta. I’ve been trying to get a tour there for ages and this was a great opportunity. The decision dragged on a bit but finally it was all sorted.
I happen on Via Caglieri pretty often while walking but, wouldn’t you know it, on the day I needed to be there I felt totally lost. But we made it…and perhaps ten minutes before Liat and her family got there.
Our tour guide was a young woman whose English was very strong. We suited up in an ante room and off we went to check out the factory. This is smaller than Caffarel for sure but still commercial and noisy. The noise was a good touch – lending a bit of oompa loompa style to the whole thing. We saw the sacks of cocoa beans, and of sugar, and had a chance to see the cocoa nibs, the cocoa butter and the cocoa mass. That mass smells amazing – gives me a feeling of wanting to roll around in it! I wondered how long before it becomes overwhelming. (In fact, by the end of the tour I needed air!)
There are quite a few processes for the chocolate to go through before it finally reaches the wrapping stage. It was here we got a taste of the chocolate from the production line. It tastes better than Caffarel.
No photos allowed! So I took some of the showroom and then of the plate of samples they had for us to taste when we’d taken off the gear.
Gobino is an artisan chocolate factory that makes giandujotti, whole hazelnut chocolate, dark chocolate disks and cremini (layered chocolate) and a few related things. It’s not got the long history of Caffarel but it’s now our preferred chocolate.
Krish promised that this year we’d go to a restaurant each week. We’re not doing so well! So I booked an evening at Consorzio, a restaurant with a strong Torinese reputation. And it’s close. Straight down Via Milano, which runs parallel to the market and just a few streets down.
I like Via Milano at night. It’s central but strangely quiet. On one side is the busy Piazza Castello , on the other the trendy Quadrilatero, and running through the middle is the main pedestrian shopping street of Garibaldi. So it’s quite amazing that it’s like a peaceful oasis all the way down.
Some people consider Consorzio Torino’s best restaurant. We kept an open mind but I was hoping for something really wonderful. It’s on Via Monte di Pieta, close to the main road. We went inside and were given a choice of tables. it must be off season since I’ve heard of people not being able to get a table. The service was quiet and not warm or educational. I think it could be better, especially when it’s so empty in there.
We decided we would get three appetisers and a pasta and a glass of wine. I enjoyed what we ate, except for the sweetbreads. I rarely love them anyway so was not disappointed. We certainly ate enough. Each dish tasted different. Everything was Italian and even Piemontese but it was certainly a bit adventurous. Pleasant but not fantastic. I’m glad I went but that’s it for Consorzio.
