La Rei is the flagship restaurant of the luxury property Il Boscareto Resort & Spa which is located in Northern Italy’s Piedmont. The hotel and the restaurant are tucked away in breathtaking surroundings just outside the village of Serralunga d’Alba. Piedmont has several fantastic restaurants and La Rei is no exception, with a young team promising even more to come.

The agriculture region of Langhe and the surrounding vineyards are the perfect setting for a top restaurant. It is impossible to not be overwhelmed by the beautiful environment. Luckily, the team of the restaurant offers a cuisine to match the scenario so have a seat at the big terrace and dine al fresco on some of Italy’s finest cuisine.

Executive Chef Shiqin Chen was born in Shanghai in 1980. His appetite for travelling and adventure took him to Italy where he attended a cooking course at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners. Obviously the course caught the young cook’s attention since he followed it with internships and worked at some of Italy’s best restaurants like dal Pescatore and Antica Corona Reale where he stayed for ten years before he became the Chef at La Rei. Shiqin Chen has an unmistakable sense of the Piedmontese cuisine and is a perfect chef of the young and vibrant restaurant.

The Chef is not the only young member of this restaurant. Young and ambitious is an understatement when it comes to this gem of a restaurant. Restaurant Manager Davide Ostorero is not much older than the Chef, but he knows hospitality inside out. Head Sommelier Matteo Toso is not old, but he is already one of Italy’s best sommeliers with an amazing ability to make perfect pairings with Chef Chen’s cuisine. And of course it helps to have an amazing wine cellar at disposal with some of the world’s best Barolo and Barbaresco wines.

La Rei has something for everyone. The restaurant stays faithful to the regional cuisine without feeling dated and the ingredients are as fresh and delicious as they can ever be. This restaurant is a must when you are in Piedmont.

Written by Andy