Torino - Caffè al Bicerin

It's early Saturday morning here, and I am working on my second night of less than 6 hours sleep. I came in early this morning so that Craig could come in late, as he was out at the Holland House (sponsored by Heineken) last night. Yesterday, I came in early, and met Jeff at the bus mall as he got off a little early from the overnight shift, and we went downtown to the Caffè al Bicerin to sample the famous drink I eluded to in an earlier post.

Finding places in Torino is a bit of an adventure, as addresses often are not given, or are difficult to track down with all the many side streets and piazzas (open plazas all through the downtown). Sometimes directions are given in terms of other nearby landmarks, as in this case where we were able to find the Church of the Consolata on a map, and then head there looking for the Caffè.

When we found it, across the piazza from the Church, we were surprised by how small it is, and that the signs out front are not exactly obvious...



The entrance on the left is for a tiny chocolate shop, while the entrance to the actual Caffè is on the right. When we entered, we were again amazed at how small it is. There are only 8 tables, each with one chair, and two benches that run along each wall to the counter area. These tables are made of marble, and are said to be the original tables from more than 200 years ago. The atmosphere is terrific: candle-lit marble tables, wooden walls with mirrors, red carpeting, and a marble counter in front of shelves lined with jars of candy...



Since it was only 8:30am, there were not that many people there, but I am told that later in the day, and in the evenings it is packed like a subway during rush hour. We ordered the signature drink, plus a breakfast specialty called "chocolate toast", which is essentiall a grilled cheese sandwich with two types of chocolate substituting for the cheese. The Bicerin is a blend of coffee, chocolate and cream/milk that is served in a glass...



I am not a coffee drinker, but I quite enjoyed the Bicerin. It tasted like a creamy, slightly bitter, hot chocolate. The chocolate toast was very, very good!



Cheers - Sean (kinda looks like I only had 6 hours sleep doesn't it!)