Smelt, the new Turkish-Mediterranean restaurant on via Mazzini in Turin

On via Mazzini, towards the Po, Smelt opened a couple of weeks ago, a new venue bringing the flavors of Anatolia mixed with Mediterranean cuisine to Turin. As reported by Corriere della Sera Torino, the project is run by three young people, Ebru, Sinan and Samet, who come from far away: before arriving on the Po, the restaurant was based in Istanbul, where it was a fine dining establishment, and the three traveled across Europe before choosing Turin.

Location and setting

Smelt occupies the space of a former bakery at via Mazzini 54, in an area that according to Corriere is becoming a small "strip" of venues, including Adelaide!, Mai Thai, the chocolate shop TOC and Oinos. The space has been renovated with a metal counter at the entrance and violet resin tables, for a contemporary touch without excess.

The menu, between Turkey, Greece and Spain

Smelt's menu intertwines Middle Eastern and Mediterranean traditions, with references to Turkey, Greece and Spain. It is designed to be consulted at different times of the day: the sections include brunch, appetizers, montaditos and "all day" proposals.

Among the dishes tasted by the Corriere critic, a Gilda (the classic Basque pintxo with olive, mussels in escabeche, sweet and sour peppers and marinated ginger), a date marinated with gorgonzola cream and wasabi with trout roe, and an ezme, the traditional tomato and pepper tartare here revisited with smoked mussels and herb oil. Among the desserts, caramelized figs with English cream and plum sorbet.

Prices

According to Corriere, a meal with some dishes and a glass of wine comes to around forty euros, a figure that can rise to about 60 euros for a more complete dinner with more wine. The critic's judgment is "very good", with a rating of three stars out of four in the newspaper's scorecard.