An Italian Affair

I think this will be the first time I will agree with Vir Sanghvi and say “old school dining” needs to make a comeback. His logic states that as the middle class started eating at ‘fine dining’ establishments, it was their (supposed) awkwardness towards elaborate dining etiquettes that made restaurants rethink their service style. But now things are going back to fabric serviettes and spotless glasses, usually changed with every refill. And I saw evidence of that at three places last month, Ummami in Gurgaon, The Westin Coffee Shop in Gurgaon and at the Italian Food Festival in Blooms, Eros Hotel managed by Hilton, Nehru Place, New Delhi. So I suppose he is right to some extent! I get thrilled by little nuances like chocolate coated teaspoons served with the cappuccino at The Westin, how the bread basket at Spectra at the Leela is always fresh and always unique, the peanuts at the Monk, Galaxy Hotel are the best and how silent and subdued Baywatch (versus the show, I mean) at WelcomHotel Sheraton is! For me it’s always the food AND the little things, the finer things. They add meaning to the value of the meal. With so many aspiring and astounding home chefs, people no longer eat out for just the cuisine or the chef, they eat out for the experiential value. Establishments now need to wake up and take note, fortunately some have!

The Italian lunch Blooms, Eros Hotel managed by Hilton, Nehru Place, New Delhi was where I had all these thoughts, it was being helped immensely by the weather God’s, the Al Fresco spread added further charm to already prepped ambience. I love the way glasses sparkle outdoors, I love the way silverware reflects the green and I love the way food looks in natural light. This holds true for me mainly because I have always loved lunches over dinners and the outdoors over dining rooms. Dinner with friends should be a huge selection of drinks and Tapas style eating peppered with amazing conversation. Sitting around a table, lounging over champagne is definitely an afternoon thing to do!

Another thing I love to do is meet the chef, my husband feels it’s a tad much but I really need to see the face behind the food. In that respect, today was special too, the chef had a brief albeit fruitful meeting with the bunch of us. The introduction for his food showed his love for his work and immediately I hoped that passion had permeated the food. Well, it had! The starters rolled in and I was most struck by the rustic plating style that Italians seem to love, the obviously construed yet oh-so-clumsy drops of dressing, the platters looked straight out of Jamie’s (Oliver) magazine! The only problem with pretty food is the rise it causes in expectation levels, fortunately for us, the food lived up to its prettiness. I loved the Bresaola, a first time for me, thin slices of beef rolled over fresh, soft, seasoned cheese. I didn’t expect the slight sweet kick but it was so perfect in there, that I think I smiled through this one! The other stars of the starter selection were the mushroom topped Vol-Au-Vents (though they could have been warmer, I am a big fan of hot/cold foods, so these could have been more spectacular for me!) and the Aurbergine Rolls, oh the aubergine rolls.

How the stature of this humble veggie has elevated, in a cuisine that actually glorifies it across regions and meal courses. They were filled with chewy, flavoursome sundried tomatoes and I was certain this wasn’t vegetarian fare…it was! There was a pretty audible ahhhh when these made the rounds, good to know that most palates know what’s good for them! I loved the presentation of the prawns sitting pretty atop a mini pyramid of rice, corn and veggie salad. I missed the sweetness of the prawn however! The Parma Ham was lovely, fresh and perfect with a chunk of melon, I wonder if a low-on-the-sweet melon was chosen intentionally because it paired well with the salty ham. I was less indulgent with the bocconcini because I prefer the softer variety. All in all, I was a happy camper!

So far the meal was gathering more and more promise. The white wine paired with the starters was perfect and going down a bit too easy coupled with the sparkling wine (wish I had asked which one it was!!), I was ready for the main course. There are two meats in my book that need to flag off a meal that’s meant to be special – lamb or beef. I am okay with the fish and seafood tucked away in the appetizers but please make my main course hearty!

Which is why I chose the Roasted Rack of Lamb to start my lunch with, tender, juicy, needs more sauce at some point but marries the shallots confit wholeheartedly, nice, let’s move on! Pollo al Mattone, not a ‘pollo in public’ person at all but I will give it a go because it had one of my favourite words in the prep – roasted! Chicken for me is home eating on a day when there is paucity of time and no other meat immediately available. This was nice, easy on the palate, good break from the red meat and until I spotted something frightfully green. Going back to husbands sound advice – eat it if it smells good not coz it looks good, I thought “ok Andy, I will” … and boy am I glad I did. The Spinach Flan with the parmesan fondue was a smack in your face dish. Light, airy, how and where did Chef Stefano put all that flavour I could taste and I hadn’t even dunked the flan in the fondue yet, very well done, worth the last bit of food space (dessert space exists elsewhere!) in my stomach. This was getting better by the bite because that wasn’t all! I am surprised I am more exhausted writing this than I was eating ALL that.

The Saffron Risotto, that for me was the magical moment, the moment I ask for the Chef, how can I taste saffron in your Risotto when I can NEVER taste it in anything saffron served here… all he said was ‘be generous’… ‘Be Generous’ …what a wonderfully gregarious statement and so absolutely bang on! The risotto was creamy not sticky, wholesome not heavy and flavoursome not spiced, this was the real deal! I passed on the potatoes because I can’t waste space on frivolities and the Pan Seared Sea Bass passed by me but this meal was as complete as a meal can and should be!

Left with only dessert space I was happy to see martini glasses of Tiramisu, lightly sweetened, fluffy with a mild espresso flavour, I couldn’t have eaten anymore than this. I heard a few people talk about the lack of alcohol in the dessert and personally I have always felt Amaretto sometimes makes the ladyfingers taste boozy in a fermented way, so I didn’t actually miss the alcohol at all.

By now I was in a good place in my mind. The meal was served over an hour and a half of gentle, cool breeze, lush green palm fronds, great company and the buzz that beautiful lunches tend to have. Eating with the chef at the head of the table was a Masterchef-ish moment and it made the meal a little more personal, a little more special. I would go back, I would sit outdoors, I would ask for the same wine and then I would eat… that exact same courses, in the exact same order! As they say in Italy - Mangia bene, vivi felice (eat well, live happy)