Antine is a fine dining establishment situated right in the middle of the village of Barbaresco. The chef is quite young, I believe around 25 years old, however he is producing some outstanding “fine dining” interpretations of the traditional local dishes.
As you would hope from such a restaurant, each of the courses was a feast for both the eyes as well as the taste spuds, possibly the highlight of which was the chefs welcome, which transformed the minimalist table setting into an edible modern artwork.
Each of these small bites was a fun and surprising ride, especially the black olive and mango wafer and the dark cocoa biscuit with some kind of blue cheese.
Wine wise, we ran with a glass of prosecco while we waited for the bottle of Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco Rabaja 2005 to open up (once again, this producer appeared to be the bargain on the list at around 60 EUR). No notes taken on the wine, however it was sitting in a wonderful place showing both primary fruit as well as secondary characters, the tannins were more than approachable already, especially when paired with a meal.
For entree I ordered the plin ravioli which came served with a light broth and was one of the few dishes executed in a very traditional manner. The pasta was perfect and the flavour magnificent.
I shared my entree with Tamara, who ordered the squid with tortellini and saffron. Each of the pasta morsels would pop in your mouth and were filled with a delicious garlic aioli. The squid itself was tender, however I have seen it handled with more precision back here in Australia.
When it came to the main course, I ordered the veal braised in Barbaresco. The pairing with the Giuseppe Cortese was one of the finest food and wine pairings I have ever experienced. Mind blowingly good. The veal itself fell apart when threatened with a fork, and the jus was subtle enough that you could still taste the delicate flavours of the meat.
Tamara ordered the pigeon with foie gras, neither of which are in my list of desirable things to eat. Either way she took a taste of my veal and snatched back the plate of pigeon, so it must have been great if you are into that kind of thing.
We did order desserts, however forgot to take photos. The tiramisu was inspired and presented in almost a deconstructed style, the bunet bunet bunet (chocolate pudding 3 ways) was solid. There was also a cheese cart which stood proudly in the middle of the dining room, it in turn was plundered and the spoils enjoyed with a glass of Barbara from Bruna Rocca, which changed my opinion on how good Barbera can be.
Just when you though you could not possible eat one more bite, out comes the chefs farewell.
Overall a trip to Barbaresco would not be complete without dinner at Antine. Everything was right on point, from the service to the food and even the price of the wine list, which was reasonable considering the establishment. Price wise it is expensive, however to dine at a similar restaurant in Sydney definitely costs more, so I consider Antine to be good value as well.
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