Located in Treiso city centre, this attractive establishment, half bar, half wine bar, but restaurant above all, was created by Guillermo Field. After his stay at the famous Ciau del Tornavento restaurant, this young Mexican (aged 32) decided to go ahead with his own project in 2008. His success was immediate and well-deserved. His tenacity and passion allowed him to be mentioned in the press. This restaurant belongs to the new wave that was in fashion that year in Alba region. Besides the classical local restaurants, other eating houses were set up by foreign cooks who came and express their talent through new techniques, new products (like sea fish) and new perfumes, but preserving the local raw materials as well as the classical recipes of the region. In short, they brought the pinch of experience a territory needs to escape from provincialism and to discover new worlds. In that project, Memo –as called by his friends– is accompanied with chef Gwendal Pinon, from Brittany, and his girlfriend, Sara, from Treiso. This trio offer a really enjoying, fresh and young cuisine regarding presentation that is never rhetorical nor ordinary. A cookery full of substance, not too rustic, well executed and not heavy at all.
We started with a little salad of curly kale, red cabbage, potatoes and cherry tomatoes: colour, liveliness and freshness presented in crystal. The next proposal was elegant puff pastry stuffed with cuttlefish and peas, followed by a local classical dish: rabbit livers over fried onions and spinach. Among the starters, the egg tagliatelle –very greedy, baked with ricotta cheese– served with artichoke, prawns, spinach and ground hazelnuts were as tasty as the gnocchi made with chestnut flour and proposed with shavings of pecorino cheese. Regarding main courses, it is worth mentioning the tongue with bagnetto rosso (sauce prepared with vegetables, tomato and spices), finely and intelligently seasoned with habanero peppers and Pont Neuf chips. The dish we enjoyed most was the sweetbread and batsuá (sweet-and-sour pig’s trotters, typical in the Piedmont region) wrapped into pork intestine and lain over mashed potatoes: succulent, utterly tasteful, dense and generous. A real pleasure! The desserts were also great, well done and not heavy at all, such as the panna cotta, executed just the way it is supposed to, without unflavoured gelatin, or the aromatic shortcrust pastry pie with Chantilly cream and orange.
The wine enthusiasts will find a way to answer the call of their taste buds: this is the heart of the Barbaresco region and Memo is a great expert on wine, a real professional in the field, he feels a true passion for. Let him know about your tastes and choose together according to your preferences; or just trust him if you want to explore new palatal paths. Guillermo will always select a bottle that will remind you something you tasted during your previous visit –regardless of the time that has passed since then– and will amaze you with the latest vintage or with another wine that is somehow linked to the one you tasted in the past. Before a great Barbaresco di Bruno Rocca, Memo offered us some classical sparkling wine and a Nebbiolo from a little known cellar: Cascina Baricchi di Neviglie (Cuneo). Two excellent, unprecedented proposals at a very interesting price. What more can you ask for?
Profumo Divino is a trendy and modern place that is characterized by its winning combination of flexible opening times, bar, wine bar and restaurant, which attracts all kinds of customers. The atmosphere, rather than luxurious, is sober, bright, neat and spacious (with room around the tables). Professionalism is guaranteed from presentation to execution and the value for money is really fantastic. Bravo!
