We, in the hills.
Words and photos by Jürgen Schmücking*
Sitting on the terrace of the Uri in Roddino and letting your gaze roam over the gentle hills of the Langhe can result in losing one’s sense of time and space. This place has something special, it has power, maybe even a little magic!
In any case, it is also a place of outstanding cuisine. The ‘Sapori’ in its name means ‘flavours’ and it’s a promise they really are keeping! ‘Condivisi’ on the other hand, means ‘shared’, but why ‘shared flavours’? And what does ‘Uri’ actually mean?
The solution to the puzzle lies in the story of Federica and Kim, who run the Uri with a lot of passion. Federica is Italian and Kim is Korean and the two met at Massimo Camia in La Morra. From there they went to the Enoteca of Davide Palluda and continued on more joint paths: love, marriage and their own restaurant; the Uri (it is, by the way, a Korean word and means ‘we’ or ‘ours’).
The Uri is a restaurant that is deeply rooted in the culinary tradition of the Langhe, but which blends Piedmontese cuisine with exciting aspects from Kim’s homeland of Korea. As a guest, you can see this by the fact that the courses are served in large bowls in the middle of each table and then everyone at the table can help themselves. Also in the way that Kim not only harvests the vegetables from his own garden, but lightly ferments them too. In this the Koreans are grandmasters.
The concept works, and how it works! There are always two menus to choose from in the Uri: a traditional and a more experimental. You can’t really go wrong with either. The first course of the “Menu Piedmonte” is simply called antipasto misto. It comes as two courses and already sets the bar quite high.
The ‘Battuta di Fassone’ alone would be a reason to come here again and again; Meat of perfect quality, roughly chopped and a touch of olive oil. Then the magnificent Tajarin. This is deep yellow pasta ribbon noodles, even thinner than tagliatelle, served with fabulously good Ragu (with rabbit meat), or ‘plin di carne e fondo bruno’: Dough bags filled with lamb.
The main course was Brasato al Barolo, a roast beef that had been braised for a long time in Barolo wine. Apparently, depending on the mood, it has also ended up in the Oven as Brasato al ‘Nebbiolo’. Both varieties of red wine make for a fantastic braised beef dish!
On the other hand, the experimental menu is less traditional. A crispy sandwich with guinea fowl and sauce Béarnaise, now almost a signature dish in the house Uri, or ‘ottoke’; a pancake filled with a mix of cinnamon, honey, raisins and hazelnuts. Traditionally in Korea, where the recipe originates, peanuts are used, but the Piedmont influence is delivered by replacing the peanuts with the Hazelnuts of the Langhe.
One can only hope that the ‘Uri’ will remain with us and the Langhe for a long, long time to come.
uri.langhe@gmail.com
Località Porine, 4,
12050 Roddino
T +39 334 9704528
open Wednesday to Sunday from 19,30
Saturday and Sunday from 12,30
*Jürgen Schmücking is a photographer and reporter who travels the world in search of fine cuisine and good taste. Always with a notepad in hand and a camera ready to shoot, he collects pictures and stories of extraordinary places and tastes, of winemakers and brandy burners from Dogliani to Ybbs, Arusha to Traverse City.
