Ristorante “Balin” Livorno Ferraris, Frazione Castell’Apertole (Vercelli)
Tel.+39 0161-47121-477536 e-mail: balin@balinrist.it, www.balinrist.it

As usual…. to see better “click” on the photos!

 
 
I can perfectly guess what you are thinking now: “How is it possible that there is a good restaurant in a place where you can only see paddy fields?”

But I can grant you that it is possible! After visiting a little market in Borgo d’Ale, we were with a couple of friends and together with them we discovered this restaurant in the middle of nowhere, in a town that covers a big area, so big that it is one of the municipalities with the biggest territory of this part of Piedmont. This town, Livorno Ferraris, is famous to be the place where the conclave took place at the end of 1300, when the antipope Benedetto XIII was elected. There is a provincial road in the middle of the old estate, on your left and on your right you can see some pillars with huge frogs made of cement.

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Angelo Silvestro has the nickname “Balin” (it comes from his family: his grand-grand-father traded cattle and he always described his calf saying that it was rounded like a little ball, in local dialect: “l’è rutund me ’n balin”. So everybody started calling him “Balin” which means “little ball”, fat enough to be eaten) and he decided to give this name to his restaurant as well. He has been the owner since 1997 and he is one of the most well-known cook in Italy, but he has never become full of himself. In this restaurant you can find local specialties (from Vercelli, the province where the restaurant is located, and from Piedmont in general) and there is a special attention to the gastronomic tradition. Angelo started travelling around the world twenty-five years ago, he has met famous cooks and he has prepared food in luxury and important restaurants. All these experiences created his rich gastronomic culinary background.

 
He is a very good cook, everybody has already understood it by now. What I want to tell you now is something more about the plates we ate and the atmosphere in the restaurant.

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The restaurant is full of ceramic and porcelain frogs, with a simple furniture, but with care and love to details. Everybody knows that if in a restaurant the toilette is clean, everything it is as well. Don’t worry: the Sunday we were there the restaurant was full of people and the toilette was perfect, very clean and with a gentle perfume. In the main room the fireplace was working and I let you imagine the atmosphere! We sat at a round table, just in front of the fireplace. After receiving the menu, we were welcomed with a non-alcoholic aperitif from the house and something to eat. The menu was full of temptations and the dish of that day was “frogs and anchovies”.

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We chose the anchovies served with toasted brown bread and a “big mountain” of butter from the farm “Occelli”; in another plate some cold cuts. To follow, a risotto from the many offered (one was better than the other; so difficult to choose!!). My husband and my friend’s husband had some cheese to finish and the women ate a dessert. This one was something wonderful at seeing and even better at eating!

You can also eat the “Mixed Fried from Piedmont” and a special sauce called “Bagna Cauda”, it’s made with oil, garlic and anchovies where you put vegetables. Both this specialties require minimum eight people.

I’m sure you have understood this was our first time at the “Balin” but not the last one. We are going to organize a dinner with “Mixed Fried from Piedmont” to share with our friends. The way to get there is quite long but it’s surely worth!

I warmly recommend you this restaurant. I’m sure you will appreciate it! Really sure!  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ristorante “Balin” Livorno Ferraris, Frazione Castell’Apertole (Vercelli)
Tel.+39 0161-47121-477536 e-mail: balin@balinrist.it, www.balinrist.it

As usual…. to see better “click” on the photos!

 
 
I can perfectly guess what you are thinking now: “How is it possible that there is a good restaurant in a place where you can only see paddy fields?”

But I can grant you that it is possible! After visiting a little market in Borgo d’Ale, we were with a couple of friends and together with them we discovered this restaurant in the middle of nowhere, in a town that covers a big area, so big that it is one of the municipalities with the biggest territory of this part of Piedmont. This town, Livorno Ferraris, is famous to be the place where the conclave took place at the end of 1300, when the antipope Benedetto XIII was elected. There is a provincial road in the middle of the old estate, on your left and on your right you can see some pillars with huge frogs made of cement.

Angelo Silvestro has the nickname “Balin” (it comes from his family: his grand-grand-father traded cattle and he always described his calf saying that it was rounded like a little ball, in local dialect: “l’è rutund me ’n balin”. So everybody started calling him “Balin” which means “little ball”, fat enough to be eaten) and he decided to give this name to his restaurant as well. He has been the owner since 1997 and he is one of the most well-known cook in Italy, but he has never become full of himself. In this restaurant you can find local specialties (from Vercelli, the province where the restaurant is located, and from Piedmont in general) and there is a special attention to the gastronomic tradition. Angelo started travelling around the world twenty-five years ago, he has met famous cooks and he has prepared food in luxury and important restaurants. All these experiences created his rich gastronomic culinary background.

 
He is a very good cook, everybody has already understood it by now. What I want to tell you now is something more about the plates we ate and the atmosphere in the restaurant.

The restaurant is full of ceramic and porcelain frogs, with a simple furniture, but with care and love to details. Everybody knows that if in a restaurant the toilette is clean, everything it is as well. Don’t worry: the Sunday we were there the restaurant was full of people and the toilette was perfect, very clean and with a gentle perfume. In the main room the fireplace was working and I let you imagine the atmosphere! We sat at a round table, just in front of the fireplace. After receiving the menu, we were welcomed with a non-alcoholic aperitif from the house and something to eat. The menu was full of temptations and the dish of that day was “frogs and anchovies”.

We chose the anchovies served with toasted brown bread and a “big mountain” of butter from the farm “Occelli”; in another plate some cold cuts. To follow, a risotto from the many offered (one was better than the other; so difficult to choose!!). My husband and my friend’s husband had some cheese to finish and the women ate a dessert. This one was something wonderful at seeing and even better at eating!

You can also eat the “Mixed Fried from Piedmont” and a special sauce called “Bagna Cauda”, it’s made with oil, garlic and anchovies where you put vegetables. Both this specialties require minimum eight people.

I’m sure you have understood this was our first time at the “Balin” but not the last one. We are going to organize a dinner with “Mixed Fried from Piedmont” to share with our friends. The way to get there is quite long but it’s surely worth!

I warmly recommend you this restaurant. I’m sure you will appreciate it! Really sure!