The restaurant among the Barolo hills that reinterprets Piedmontese cuisine

by Patrizia Ferlini

Among the Piedmontese hills, where truffle and Barolo reign supreme, the restaurant L’Argaj stands out as an unmissable stop for those seeking an authentic culinary experience, yet one that also ventures off traditional paths. The name “Argaj”, which in Piedmontese Occitan dialect means “satisfaction”, perfectly reflects the philosophy of the restaurant. A balance between classic Piedmontese cuisine and gastronomic creativity. The culinary offering is a journey through local flavours reinterpreted with modern techniques, and the wine cellar completes the experience with a selection of local and national wines carefully paired with the dishes.

A journey that began ten years ago

Telling Gambero Rosso the story of the restaurant is Andrea Scarzello, chef and owner: “L’Argaj was born 10 years ago, we opened on 25 April 2015, from the idea of mine and my partner in business and in life, Valentina Travaglio, to bring to Castiglione Falletto a gastronomic proposal which, while respecting the guidelines of tradition, could offer a more modern and gourmet choice.” They arrived in Castiglione Falletto after five years of experience managing another restaurant in the same village, with a more traditional offering.

“With the new restaurant we decided to create a reality that stood apart from what everyone else was offering.” One thing has never changed in their philosophy: “For those who sit at our table we try to create an experience where the value of the territory is understood in an elegant and modern way.”

Identity-driven Piedmontese cuisine

“Our cuisine offers dishes with a clear traditional identity, but reinterpreted in a modern and gastronomic key.” This is made possible thanks to haute cuisine techniques and influences, not only from other regions, but also from the rest of the world, particularly from the East. “Travelling in various Asian countries, I realised how much affinity there is in the enhancement of raw materials, and that many techniques can easily be combined with our way of cooking.”

Thus were born dishes that over the years have become cornerstones of L’Argaj, such as Fassona fillet tataki, cherries in carpione, sesame and almond ricotta, or the pickled vegetables with coconut milk, ginger and lemongrass, not to mention the dumplings filled with nduja and foie gras lacquered with Carmagnola pepper extract. Tradition is not lacking either, with plin (small stuffed pasta) with three roasts in a hay broth and braised beef cheek. “Between October and November we also propose all those preparations that pair beautifully with White Truffle of Alba such as, for example, plin filled with fondue, eggs en cocotte and our dish displayed at the Alba Truffle Museum: roasted scallops, Jerusalem artichoke, anchovy and hazelnut.”

International cellar and bond with the territory

The wine list is the result of teamwork between Valentina and Andrea. Inside it you can find a wide selection of wines from the area, divided among the villages of the Langhe for Barolo and Barbaresco and of the Roero for the nebbiolo of the same name. “We also have a good selection of national and international wines with a special focus on Champagne sparkling wines. Thanks to the numerous labels we have, we also create tailor-made tasting itineraries according to our clients’ gastronomic choices.”

Ten years of activity are a good time to take stock. “In these years we have experienced great moments of satisfaction, such as the constant increase in loyal customers both from the area and internationally, and our inclusion in all the most important gastronomic guides in the sector. All this, however, has entailed several difficulties, initially on an economic level, but also on a media level since Castiglione Falletto was not yet the tourist destination it is now and we had to ‘raise our voices’ to make ourselves heard among already well-established realities such as Monforte, La Morra or Alba.

It must also be considered that we were not offering, even then, the classic cuisine that everyone was looking for, but rather a slightly different proposal, not yet clear to everyone.”* The hope and determination are to be able to continue the growth path, becoming an increasingly established reality. The foundations are in place and the passion that shines through the dishes created can only augur the rosiest of futures.

Photos by Eunice Brovida
Ristorante L’Argaj, via Alba Monforte 114, Castiglione Falletto CN
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