Turin | Dash Kitchen

Dash Kitchen surely cuts the most striking figure among a host of new nightlife venues in Turin. And many of those are in the same central neighbourhood, sandwiched between Porta Nuova station and the riverside Parco Valentino, historical, multicultural and positively pulsing with energy these days: San Salvario. If Dash Kitchen owes a deal of its pull to good food and an impressive array of craft beers on tap, its handsome interior design certainly doesn’t do it any harm. It’s the product of the artful conversion of an abandoned print shop by local architect and designer Fabio Fantolino, and another fine feather in his cap.

It’s a biggish place with a variety of swank bar, lounge and eating areas. The rugged charm of an industrial framework is preserved in exposed brick and stone, arched supports, concrete flooring, original metal-frame windows, etc. Grafted onto that is a contemporary sort of 1970s metropolitan cast, all high sophistication and plushy warmth. No orange shag-pile rugs for your delectation, but there is a screen of chrome tubes defining the bar and a fine medley of retro upholstered seating, covered in black leather or velvet and Alcantara in reds and earthy tones. Most impressive is the lineup of stunning lighting solutions. Interiors with vintage attitude, thriving on contrasts. All this bounty from the finest Italian manufacturers: wooden fittings by Falegnameria Fiore, other furniture by Nube and lighting by Tom Dixon, Biffi, Fabbian, Delta Light and Phanto – the latter being, in effect, Fabio Fantolino’s own design icon brand. Massimo de Cristofaro is the man behind Dash Kitchen. He’s inspired by a passion for microbrews and the culture thereof, and cool Dash is where he shares it, over an aperitif, dinner or during events. Cocktails, especially of the gin-based variety, are the alternative to beer. The menu’s contemporary, more fine pub food than haute cuisine, as befits.