On our most recent trip to Piedmont, we were lucky enough to have timed it perfectly with a lunch reservation at Il Cardo e L’Ortica, translated from Italian to The Thistle and The Nettle. What a cute name! It’s a fully vegan restaurant located in a tiny hamlet called San Biagio, 20 minutes drive east from Cuneo. It was a public holiday in Italy so the restaurant was open for lunch bookings only. It was pouring with rain, so it was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Vegan in Piedmont?!

Arriving in San Biagio, it was hard to believe there was a highly rated vegan restaurant in the area. We pulled up outside an unassuming building and legged it inside avoiding as much of the rain as possible! Walking into a quiet entrance alcove, I had a slight panic we were the only diners which can sometimes happen in some vegan restaurants we’ve eaten at. However, once I opened the inner door, we were welcomed by 2 friendly members of staff and a busy, full restaurant.

We were swiftly seated at our reserved table and were handed the extensive wine menu (this is Piedmont after all) alongside an impressive food menu. Typically in Italy, there is an antipasti option then primi, secondi finishing with dolce. As we had starved ourselves for the occasion, we chose the Menu Deguzione which was a choice of 4 antipastis then a choice from each of the courses.

It was hard to pick from such an inventive and exciting menu and we also try to choose different meals so we can try each others. The menu was all in Italian and we tried to translate it, but we just decided to wing it as we thought we couldn’t really go wrong as it’s all vegan anyway and sounded delicious.

Antipasti

I had the mixed plate where you could choose 4 items from the antipasti menu – so I had the vegan sushi, nut and chickpea filled cannoli, baked asparagus and savoury Bavarese. I really enjoyed the veg sushi the most as it is one of my favourite foods. The baked asparagus was also delicious and it was a nice mix to start off the upcoming courses.

Primi

One of my favourite courses was my primi which was a Tagliatelle Pad Thai. Although Pete’s ravioli looked (and tasted) delicious, I was pleased with my choice. The Asian flavours were subtle and the vegetables nice and crunchy.

Secondi

For secondi I had Tofu Mare which was To-fish, homemade mayonnaise and seasonal greens. I was glad at the size of the portion as I was beginning to get full, these Italians and their four course lunches! The tofu was light, crispy and reminded me that I need to make this meal more.

Dolci

My favourite part of any meal is the dessert. Whilst Pete had traditional Sicilian sweet treat cannoli, I devoured a Cremoso made with almond milk with a crunchy chocolate cornflake topping. It was so rich, creamy and divine. I love vegan desserts, you can create so much using agar agar.

If you are ever travelling nearby Cuneo and want to experience some amazing vegan food, then don’t hesitate to stop by this fabulous restaurant.