Ant — Restaurant in Novello

My friend and I had a wonderful stay at Ant. It's located in Novello, a charming and quiet village in the Barolo wine region. Ant is right next to the beautiful Novello castle, and you're surrounded by sweeping vineyard views. Our room was very large with everything we needed (including waters and snacks in the fridge and fresh baked cake waiting for us). The bed was large and comfortable and the decor is truly special. It's very simple (mostly white and wood) which I loved, and there are many interesting details with the furniture and design elements. We stayed for two nights and would go down and have an evening drink on the patio with the great hosts there. The patio and courtyard are beautiful, as is the restaurant. We ate at the restaurant our first night, which you absolutely must do. It was such a fun and unique experience: going to the wine cellar to pick out your bottle for dinner, course after course of unique dishes, a fun game after each course where you guess what you ate and all ingredients involved. The meal was a highlight of our entire trip. Note that it is not traditional Italian whatsoever, but definitely worth the experience. Novello has some other restaurants, enotecas, etc. and the location is a great home base for exploring the...

Wow wow wow. I’ve been to many restaurants in my life but this was up there with the best experiences I ever had. The way the guys at Ant manage to apply their concept of delicate mystery to everything they do (design, arrival at the restaurant, food, wine, overall experience, instagram) was truly amazing. They don’t tell you what you’re eating, this way our conversation around the table was 100% focussed on the food in front of us. Trying to taste, guess and take bets with each other on what we’re eating. It’s like a self-discovery before they lift the secret after you’ve finished your dish. Fitting the concept you also choose the wine you want to drink yourself by venturing into their beautiful wine cellar and picking your bottle based on your gut feeling. The staff was incredibly friendly, we had such a good time and their choice of music completes a stellar sensory experience. Must visit if you’re...

Ant is the most innovative restaurant I've visited in a long time. From the street, it makes you wonder if you're in the right place, but once you enter through the old gate, things unfold one after another: the lovely courtyard, the chic dining room with vine branches as silverware holders and hand-carved cow bones as napkin rings, the tastefully renovated old cellar, with wine bottles and pickle jars, the friendly staff - and, last but not least, the food. Our seven courses surprise dinner menu was simply spectacular. Just a few mentions, with apologies if not entirely correct: tomato soup with dashi base; a dish made from corn, cooked several ways, with coriander and feta cheese; and a pork belly roast to die for. All of this accompanied by a wine that one could select directly from their cellar - that made for a really memorable...