La Vecchia Frazione In Bellinzago novarese

27/08/2025: I visited La Darbia for lunch. The place is stunning, nestled in nature, with breathtaking views over Lake Orta. The style blends perfectly with the surroundings. The food is made with top-quality ingredients, and the vegetables come from the on-site garden, which you can even see while dining. You can opt for a 5-course tasting menu, with the option to add the chef's signature dishes (around €100 each, portions for two). We went à la carte. The quality and taste of the dishes are undeniably high, but the portions are quite small. So either keep the prices with larger portions, or lower the prices while keeping the dishes small, allowing you to try more items; at the moment, they feel more like “bites” than full courses. Aside from this, the place is absolutely worth a visit: both the food and the view make the trip worthwhile—maybe next time staying in one of the suites for the full experience. Let me start by saying that I was here for lunch and did not stay at the hotel. The location is beautiful, surrounded by nature, with a breathtaking view of Lake Orta. The style blends perfectly with the surrounding environment. The food uses the highest quality ingredients, and the vegetables come from the garden, which is visible even while you eat. You can choose a five-course tasting menu, with the option of adding the chef's signature dishes (about €100 each, portions for two). We opted for the à la carte option. The quality and flavor of the dishes are unquestionable, truly top-notch, but the portions are too small, especially considering they aren't part of the tasting menu but were chosen à la carte. So either they maintain these prices with larger portions, or they lower the prices by keeping the dishes small so you can also try other dishes; for now, we can consider them more like "bites" than actual courses. This detail aside, the place is definitely worth a visit: the quality and view are worth the trip, perhaps in the future staying in one of the suites to enjoy the full experience.

25/08/2025: Not worth the price. The chef’s tasting menu consisted only of vegetarian dishes, save for the last dish of the night. That’s great if you like vegetarian food, not so if you’re a meat eater, also not so for the price. The cocktails were superb. Everything else was just okay - lacking in depth. Food aside, the service was lovely (the blankets provided were divine) and the setting was beautiful. Would I go back? Maybe but stay away from the chef’s table - it’s was not worth it in our minds.