For those on the hunt for a unique and new gastronomic experience, here is a name and address to note: Bōl House, a captivating concept in the heart of Turin.
Bōl House is the first restaurant in Italy to offer an out-of-the-ordinary way of eating: the entire menu is served in bread, which transforms from a side dish into an appetizing edible container. The special bread, created just for Bōl House, is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and contains every proposal on the menu, both savory and sweet.
A Bread Concept by Bōl House
The concept was the brainchild of three globetrotting friends who three years ago, just before lockdown, decided to open a restaurant inspired by what they had seen – and eaten – in their travels. In many traditional cuisines, in Italy and abroad, there is some recipe served in bread: from Hungarian goulash to Polish zurek, and from French soupe d’oignon to California’s Clam Chowder. The idea is to create a venue where the entire menu, both sweet and savory, is served in bread. The invitation is clear: you can eat all of it.
Bōl – from the French bowl – has the O surmounted by the macron and is read Bool, recalling in pronunciation the most famous English dishes, bowls. There are two sizes of Bōl: large for the main course, a single dish that takes the place of both first and second course, and mini.
The mini-bōl is a treat, a little indulgence designed for lovers of hors d’oeuvres, fancy dishes and sharing. A dish as good as it is fun, served 5 at a time in 5 different flavors – choose sweet or savory for a different start or end to the meal.
Bōl House is a family affair: Davide and Enrica are siblings, while Davide Vito is Enrica’s boyfriend. They are the ones who work in the restaurant, in the kitchen and in the dining room, taking care of the shopping and service.
Bread is at the center of the project. It took four months of testing and the invaluable help of a baker from the Lanzo Valleys to fine-tune the formula for the perfect bread: right texture and right size. Only simple and natural ingredients: flour, water, yeast, oil and salt, no milk and dairy products, no lard or vegetable fats.
The ingredients are very fresh, bought day by day, and the menu changes according to the seasons: fresher recipes in summer, with the addition of soups in winter. There are always about 30 proposals including meat, fish and vegetables. Preparing everything is Davide, who has a long experience in London pub kitchens behind him and it was there that he learned what true fusion is.
The best-loved Bōl’s are Amor(tadella), made with Mortadella, sautéed potatoes, pistachio pesto, burratina and balsamic vinegar glaze, and Pulled Pork, with pulled pork shoulder in BBQ sauce, coleslaw salad, pico de gallo and black pepper sauce.
There is no shortage of recipes that wink at tradition as well: Vitello Tonnato, in homage to the typical Piedmontese dish; La Pugliese, made with stracciatella, turnip greens and sausage; Bolognese, with meat sauce, béchamel sauce and mozzarella cheese; or Melenzana, prepared with sauce alla norma, grilled eggplant, ricotta salata and eggplant pesto.
Great attention is also paid to eco-sustainability: in fact, Bōl House is waste and plastic free. All the food is fresh, and even hollowed-out bread crumbs are made into meatballs, served with pesto or meat sauce, both homemade. In addition, the plates are ceramic, the glasses are glass, the cutlery is metal, and even the water is the “mayor’s,” microfiltered, and the coffee is that in pods.