Ta'am

A Square, #565, 8th Main, 4 Block, Koramangala, Bangalore 560034.
Phone : 4116 9898, 4146 9595
Email : taam@taamrestaurants.com
Website : http://www.taamrestaurants.com/

Food : 3.75/5
Service : 2.5/5
Ambience : 2/5
Meal for 2 : Rs 400

Ta'am was touted as a vegetarian restaurant specialising in cuisine from the middle-east and sounded promising enough for us to forego our carnivorous tendencies last weekend! I was hoping to find dim lighting, flimsy curtains, large cushions and trance playing in the background (blame it on my regular dose of Bollywood:)) so I was disappointed to see the stark decor of this no-frills eatery. Impersonal fluorescent lighting, granite topped tables and the only thing that matched my expectations - the comfy low seating against a wall with colourful cushions thrown in.

However, my disappointment at the interiors took a backseat when the food arrived. We had ordered a hummus platter, a vegetarian platter and some extra falafel with hummus and baba ghanoush. The veggie platter had a humungous amount of a crunchy and vibrant looking salad which we just couldn't get enough of! It was accompanied by pita bread, an array of pickled vegetables, olives, tahini, hummus and sauces. The hummus platter, similar to the veggie platter minus the salad, had falafel and a generous helping of hummus as well. The platters were large enough for two people to share easily.

Hummus platter

The pita was soft and fluffy and it is eaten with a filling of all the items in the platter. The staff at Ta'am was helpful in showing us how. You break the bread in half, smear the inside with hummus, add the stuffing inside the pocket and top it with tahini and sauces. The stuffed pita tasted deliciously fresh and makes for a wholesome meal in itself. The falafel, which is a fried patty made from chickpeas, tasted very much like our masala vada! It is a common street food in the middle-east and is considered the national food of Israel.

Vegetarian platter

The hummus, again made from chickpeas, was appetizing. Baba Ganoush seemed like the Arabic avataar of the desi baingan bharta and did not taste any different from our version either. Surprisingly, the tahini, a popular accompaniment with many Arab and Mediterranean dishes, paired well and wasn't bitter despite being made from ground sesame seeds. This could be because of the middle-eastern method of making it, by hulling the seeds before they are ground.

The meal ended with a complimentary baklava. The chef somehow got the pastry wrong by adding too much ghee to it but we were ready to forgive him because of the amazingly authentic Arabic food that we had! We heard that he was trained in Israel for three months and it does show in his cooking!

The prices are as honest as the food. The portions were big and the ingredients - fresh and authentic. They do, however, need to work on their service. The food was long in coming and our drink orders did get mixed up. But the servers are polite and were a great help while ordering, offering good suggestions.

Ta'am definitely lives up to its name (it means 'taste' in Hebrew). This place delivers true middle-eastern cooking at incredibly reasonable prices. And they really know how to make you eat your vegetables...the kind of place my mom would approve of!

Did you know.......
...............................that in Egypt, McDonald's has their version of a falafel sandwich - McFalafel?
..............................that according to the urban dictionary baba ganoush is slang for 'a guy or girl from the Middle East or India who is throbbing hot'? ;) !!!!

PS - Here's an easy-breezy recipe for falafel. We haven't tried it yet but it sure seems simple. If you do make it, we would love to know how it turned out.

Edited to add: Ta'am also serves non vegetarian now

The Rajasthan Diaries

Juicy tidbits from our trip to Rajasthan spanning Jaipur, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur.

We were prepared for a riot of colors in Rajasthan but didn't expect to be bowled over by the food as well- after all what can you expect from an arid state with unfavorable conditions for vegetation, right? Well, we were proved wrong and happily so! Read on to find some delicious discoveries and must visit food haunts across Rajasthan.
A meal for two at most of the places mentioned will cost you around Rs 300 except for the ones marked with * which can set you back by Rs 400-600 for a meal for two.

Jaipur: MI Road is where you should be headed to for tasty khana in the Pink City. This street is teeming with restaurants of all shapes and sizes and reminded us of Church Street in namma Bengaluru. The Rajasthani Thali at Surya Mahal is worth every penny. Rotis and rice served with kadi (yogurt based gravy), churma (coarsely ground wheat crushed and cooked in ghee and sugar), dal, aloo ki sabzi, gatte ki sabzi (gram flour dumplings in a yogurt based gravy), raita, dessert, papad and many more items that I don't remember right now make for a wholesome meal. Oh yes - and lassan chutney (garlic chutney) is lipsmackingly good! Wash down this meal with a tall glass of lassi topped with cream from any of the three lassiwalla's across the road. A tip - lassi tastes best in the morning since its freshly set.
Next door to Surya Mahal is Nero's* which is popular among the tourists from outside India - probably because of the not-so-bad Chinese and continental items dished out here.
Another foodie landmark down MI Road is the Moti Mahal* restaurant - a branch of the famous Delhi chain that boasts of having introduced the recipe for tandoori chicken.

Tandoori Chicken at Moti Mahal

The chicken tasted absolutely divine, perfectly tandoored (!) served with green chutney and pickled onions. However, don't waste your time on the butter chicken, even when the waiter insists that it's the most popular dish on their menu. At best, it can be described as bland - slightly tangy but overpoweringly creamy.

Butter Chicken

Another popular joint among the locals (though not known to tourists yet) is Sharma Dhaba in VKI Area.

Always crowded with happy, noisy families it provides a very laid back atmosphere to gorge on excellent dal makhani, dal fry, rotis, naan etc. The cool shikanji and chaach (buttermilk) make for a killer combination with the spicy food served here. The yum rasmalai available here was, in Balaji's words, the creamiest and tastiest he had ever had.
Lakshmi Mishtan Bhandar*, known as LMB, in Johari Bazar is a landmark in Jaipur's culinary history. The sweets here are quite a hit among locals and tourists alike. The story goes that the ghevar - a crunchy honeycomb made of paneer, milk and flour - available here is shipped to eminent sheikhs in the Arab world on popular demand. LMB also has a restaurant attached though we felt the food was overrated and overpriced here. The thali has miniscule helpings of all items and service is a little iffy. The thali at LMB includes the well-known Rajasthani staple - dal bati churma - which was missing in the Surya Mahal thali.

LMB's thali

Try the tea here - spiced with cardamom and a hint of ginger, just right to energize you after hours of shopping in Johari Bazar. Before we forget, coffee is a rarity in Rajasthan but the tea is almost always very good everywhere and is usually served in its masala avataar- with cardamom and ginger in it.
For a typical Rajasthani breakfast, Agarwal Caterers near Vidyadhar nagar is the place to go to. Feast on dhoklas, kachoris (with onion or lentil fillings), samosas and the artery clogging goodness of syrupy jalebis in hot milk! Yes, this is a special breakfast for many families that arrive by the carload on weekends in this nondescript eatery.

Fully loaded at Agarwal Caterers

Chokhi Dhani* on Tonk Road is a must visit attraction for any tourist in Jaipur because of the unique Rajasthani experience it provides. It is designed on the lines of a theme park cum resort with a rustic atmosphere that reflects a typical Rajasthani village or dhani complete with camel rides, astrologers, lassiwallas, chaat wallas, bonfires, folk dancers, game stalls, mud huts, wells, hawkers selling toys and balloons - you name it, they have it. Don't forget to taste rabri here- not the sweet milky dessert we know of but a classic desert dish - bajra mixed with buttermilk in an earthen pot and cooked over dying embers all night long which results in a nutritious porridge. Chokhi Dhani is open from 4-30 pm till 11-30pm on all days and the entry fee of around Rs 300 per person includes a dinner infused with local flavours - bajra and jowar rotis (millet rotis) , kair sangri (locally grown beans cooked in butter milk with spices), dal bati churma, gatta, kadi, salad, malpua (rich, soft pancakes in sugar syrup - a special dessert from Pushkar) and an array of chutneys.

At Chokhi Dhani

Served in desi style on leaves, this meal not only encompasses the ubiquitous Rajasthani dishes but also the warm hospitality of the people - something that we constantly encountered through our trip. Extra rotis, some more butter, a little more of kadi - all pushed on to your plate amidst your wild protestations and their mild chidings - you can't help but stuff yourself at Chokhi Dhani!

Jaisalmer: Due to the profusion of foreign tourists in the Golden City of Rajasthan, it is bursting at the seams with restaurants serving cuisines from different corners of the world - Italian, French, Tibetan, German, Chinese, Mexican and Greek apart from several desi eateries. All of them have signboards loudly proclaiming that they are recommended by the Lonely Planet guide though we wonder how much of that is actually true!
Riddhi Siddhi (excellent aloo jeera) at Hanuman Chauraha, Monica (try the laal maas here) near the fort entrance and The Handi are some good Indian restaurants. Hungry after an escapade in the fort? Little Italy*, inside the fort just beside the entrance dishes up some decent Italian food alongside a good view of the impressive fort. The Artist* in Kalakar Colony is another quaint restaurant run by an Austrian gentleman we met on the train. They serve up a mean Hungarian goulash with Swiss rosti. The menu also mentions Indian food though we did not try them. Not to forget the great view of the citadel from here, especially at night when it's all lit up. The Trio seemed to be a trusted restaurant among tourists but we only had the chance to grab a quick breakfast of omelette and toast here which was not too bad. The locals swear by the makahaniya lassi (blended yoghurt with lumps of butter) available at Kanchan Shree, close to Gadisagar lake. Saffron flavoured, thick and creamy, it gives a good respite from the intense heat in the desert. Craving for sweets? You will definitely fall in love with the ghotua- a Jaisalmer speciality- at Dhanraj Bhatia Sweets in Bhatia market - made right before your eyes.
Don't miss the refreshing tea at Prabhu Tea Stall, Hanuman Chauraha. The kadhai doodh here deserves special mention. This is milk left to simmer in an iron kadhai for hours on end, with the milk becoming thicker and slowly imbibing the taste of the kadhai itself. Saffron and almonds are also added to the milk during the process. Try it for a different take to your daily dose of doodh.

Check out the kadhai!

Oh, and for those kids who don't like milk, this seems like an interesting alternative available just outside the fort! ;)

Jodhpur: Janatha Sweet Home with branches at Swastik Gate and Nayi Sadak was highly recommended to us for its mawa kachoris (a speciality of Jodhpur) and mirchi badas (or vadas as we know them). The kachoris are an anorexic's nightmare - filled with khoya (condensed and dehydrated milk) and drowning in sugar syrup! Too sugary for our taste but we guess it fulfils the Rajasthani's penchant for sweets! Mirchi badas, as the name suggests, are batter fried chillies. However, we were surprised to find the chillies in question to be the normal sized green chillies unlike the large ones that we are used to in Bangalore. A doughy mix of masalas makes up for the rest of the spicy bada thus adding to the size of it. The locals eat it with slices of bread, something like the Mumbai vada pav and it makes for a good snack.
Rocktails*, close to The Umaid Bhawan palace is a cozy place for a fantastic meal under shady neem trees. Ajit Bhawan* down the same road has a restaurant thats well worth a try for some very good Indian food. The vintage setting of the hotel premises, which was once the home of Maharaja Ajit Singh, younger brother of Maharaja Umaid Singh of the erstwhile Jodhpur state , added a serene and old world charm to our last meal on this trip. Don't forget to check out the Maharaja's vintage car collection on display here. Absolutley charming!

Rajasthani cuisine is much spicier than what South Indians are used to and the amount of oil used while cooking is enough to send your dietician into a tizzy. But food is serious business here and that reflects in the recipes, carefully selected and passed down from generations, each one ingeniously devised - more out of geographical compulsion than out of a fetish for the taste. Minimum use of water, generous use of milk products and locally available lentils, spices and vegetables, food that can be stored for longer, yet retaining their high nutritional value are the hallmarks of Rajasthani cuisine - judged the most majestic and richest by Indian food connoisseurs.

Did you know.......
................................that Laal Maas (literal translation - red meat) is the unique creation of the Maharaja of Salwar? It was named Junglee maas then and was a great favourite among the Maharajas. Due to the scarcity of exotic ingredients in the camp kitchen, the game brought in from the hunt was simply cooked in pure ghee, salt and plenty of red chillies. However, now this dish has been adapted to the less controversial ingredients like lamb or poultry.
...............................that the Rajasthanis even have a term for the affectionate force feeding of their guests? It is called manuhar or manvar. The adage 'Athithi Devo Bhava' ('The guest is like God' ) is practised very seriously here. It is considered extremely rude to just lay the food on the table and expect guests to serve themselves.

Monsoon

The Park, 14/7, MG Road, Bangalore - 560042
Phone : 25594666
Email : tpbl@theparkhotels.com
Website : theparkhotels.com

Food : 3.5/5
Service : 3.5/5
Ambience : 3/5
Meal for 2 : Rs 1500



A quick lunch date on a very busy day took us to Monsoon at the Park. This tastefully done up 24-hour restaurant serves multi-cuisine where you can take your pick from a well planned menu of Mediterranean, Indian and South- East Asian cuisine.


Tenderloin with green pepper sauce

The tenderloin with green pepper sauce was piquant and fresh on the tongue - mind you, these were not green bell peppers but green unripe berries of the pepper plant. The mushrooms and potato fries served alongside were a perfect foil for the mild but fiery taste of the sauce on meat.


BBQ Quail with grilled veggies, jerk seasoning and balsamic reduction

Next was the barbequed quail with jerk seasoning , grilled vegetables and balsamic reduction. Sounds like a mouthful, doesn't it? It tastes equally delectable! The meat was moist and tasty and the seasoning complimented the subtle charred flavour of the dish.

And now for my favouritest part (pardon my English, I lose control when I talk of dessert!) of this review - chocolate mud cake with icecream! I had never had mudcakes earlier and I am glad my first one was at Monsoon. Because I now truly believe that nothing can surpass the lusty mudcake I had here.


No chocolate is too much chocolate!

The sight of rich chocolate sauce oozing out of the warm cake is like poetry to the eyes of a chocoholic! This dessert is meant to be savoured slowly, taking time to enjoy the gooey warmth of the cake with the cold sweetness of icecream. Yummy!!! This is definitely a must try for those with a sweet tooth.
Also on offer at Monsoon is a sumptuous buffet during lunch where I could see some divine looking desserts (needless to say, I always spot these first!).
Pricing is a bit on the higher side but this restaurant is worth a visit - atleast for the mudcake :)

Did you know.......
..........................that chocolate is a mild stimulant to humans mainly due to the presence of theobromine? It is much more potent for horses, and its use in horse racing is prohibited.
..........................that the muscle tissue from where the tenderloin is cut does very little work, so it is the most tender part of the cow and thus the name?

Brahmin's Coffee Bar

Shankarapuram, Bangalore.

Food : 3/5
Ambience : 1/5
Meal for 2 : Rs 50


See the crowd?

This tiny, unassuming eatout had recently been voted as one of the best idli - coffee joints in Bangalore which invoked our curiosity to check out the place ourselves. But as luck would have it, we would always end up here when it was closed - on Sundays and after 7pm on other days. They are also closed between 11 am to 3pm on all days.
It opens at 6-30 am and by the time we reached the place, around 8 am on a Saturday morning, it was packed, with people spilling over to the road and many families even having their tiffin-giffin in the confines of their cars.


Tiffin thintheera?

The coffee bar serves only 3 items - idli, vada and kesari baath - and of course, coffee and tea. Since this is a 'self-service only' joint, you have to first buy the tokens for your items at the counter near the entrance. Then starts the herculean task of squeezing your way through the crowd milling around. When you finally reach the serving counter, catch your breath, get your snacks on a tray and turn back, you realize that you are now faced with the near impossible task of making your way out of the place without spilling tea or dropping a steaming idli on someone around or worse, yourself!
Once outside, there is an old man standing right near the entrance, pouring chutney for everyone on their plates (a prize for making it out of the place in one piece, perhaps? ;)). Now that the hardships are done with :), its time to happily gorge on the simple but superb food. The idlis are quite fluffy and soft, the vada - crisp and not over done. I'm not a huge fan of kesari bath and Balaji found it was fine but a tad too sweet - too much of pineapple, we guess. There is an unlimited supply of chutney, thanks to the thaatha who happily pours it for all who ask.
Nothing better than a steaming cuppa to end an enjoyable breakfast. The coffee and tea -served in Kerala tea house kind of glasses - are quite good and upto the mark.
This place is definitely worth a try for true blue fans of idli-vada-kaapi. We do not have the exact address or phone number of the place but to get there, take the Bull Temple road from the Gandhi Bazaar side. There is a HOPCOMS and then a Neeladri office on the left. Take the right turn in front of this, go a little ahead and to your right, when you see a place teeming with people, some sipping piping hot coffee and some downing steaming idlis - you'll know you are at the right place!

Did you know.......
.......................that the idli finds mention in the Kannada writings of Shivakotiacharya in 920 AD, and it seems to have started as a dish made only of fermented black lentil? One description circa 1025 A.D. says the lentils were first soaked in buttermilk, and after grinding, seasoned with black pepper, coriander, cumin and asafoetida. The Kannada king and scholar Someshwara III, reigning in the area now called Karnataka, included an idli recipe in his encyclopedia, the Manasollasa, written in Sanskrit ca. 1130 A.D.

Roasted Pepper Prawns with Pasta in Arabiatta Sauce

Healthy food is generally perceived as bland and boring. However, a cookery show where Sanjeev Kapoor was featuring a zero-oil recipe - roasted pepper prawns, caught our attention last week.It seemed so easy to make and looked so good that we tried it out later that week. Paired with pasta, it turned out to be a simple, healthy and fulfilling meal - one that can be cooked when you are pressed for time.

The ingredients for the Roasted Pepper Prawns are:
Jumbo or medium sized prawns, cleaned and deveined 250gms
Tomato sauce 2 tbsps
Mustard sauce/paste 1 tbsp
Chopped garlic 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste 2 tsp
Ground black pepper 2 tsp
Broccoli and chopped carrots 1 cup
Lemon juice 1/2 tsp
Few fresh basil leaves (can be substituted with 1/2 tsp of dried basil)
Salt to taste


Ingredients for roasted pepper prawns

Boil the broccoli florets and carrots with very little water in a pressure cooker. Five minutes is enough or else the veggies will end up overcooked and soggy.
Mix the tomato ketchup, ginger garlic paste, mustard paste, cooked carrot and broccoli, prawns, salt and ground black pepper. You can add a little more tomato ketchup if the mixture seems too dry. However, go easy on the mustard paste, since it has an overpowering flavour that can mask the taste of the other ingredients.
Heat a cooking pan and roast the chopped garlic- no oil, remember?- for a minute. Now add the mixture prepared earlier and cook on medium flame for around 8 minutes. Garnish with fresh, torn (this brings out the flavour) basil leaves. Dried basil available in most stores can also be used instead. Add some lemon juice if desired. Serve with pasta cooked as mentioned below.



Roasted Pepper Prawns

Ingredients for Pasta with Arrabiata sauce:
Spaghetti - just enough for 2 (this is usually half of the normal packet size that is available in stores)
Arrabiata Sauce - 3 tbsps
Extra virgin olive oil - 1 tbsps
Dried basil - 1/2 tsp
Dried oregano - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Cook the pasta as per instructions on the pack. Remember not to overcook it; it should be al dente. Make sure you add a couple of drops of olive oil to the boiling water so that the pasta does not turn out sticky. Once cooked, drain and keep aside some of the pasta starch.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan. Add the arrabiata sauce and cook on medium heat for a minute. Add 4 tbsps of the pasta starch and cook for another minute. Now add the cooked pasta and dried basil and oregano. Toss till the sauce and pasta get mixed well. Serve hot.


Pasta with arrabiata sauce

The whole meal took about 30 minutes to make but the end result looks like a lot of time has been spent on it - truly gourmet ;). All the items for the recipes are easily available at departmental stores. Jumbo sized or atleast medium sized prawns would be ideal for the roasted pepper prawns though we used small prawns. The recipes given above serve two.

Did you know.......
......................that the arrabiata sauce is called the angry sauce? The word arrabiata is Italian for "in an angry mood", which describes perfectly the spicy, zingy flavor of a good arrabiata sauce.
......................that "spaghetti" is the plural form of the Italian word "spaghetto", which is a diminutive of "spago," meaning "thin string" or "twine"? The word "spaghetti" can be literally translated as "little strings."

Villa Pottipati

142, 8th Cross, 4th Main Road, Malleswaram, Bangalore - 560003.
Phone : (080)-23360777, 41280832, 41280833
Fax : 41280835
Website : http://www.neemranahotels.com/villapottipati/index.html.htm

Food : 2/5
Service : 2.5/5
Ambience : 4/5
Meal for 2 : Rs 800



Tucked in a corner of the ever busy Malleswaram, is a charming colonial bungalow now converted into a hotel, Villa Pottipati. A sprawling property with a lovely house, a pebbled courtyard, abundant trees under which you can have your lunch....hard to believe this is in namma bengalooru. Getting there was a boggling task with all the one-ways, bylanes and the infamous traffic that Malleswaram is never short of! But once we reached this pocket of green, the bustle of the city seemed like a distant memory.
Villa Pottipati has a fixed menu everyday with four courses and a choice of vegetarian and non vegetarian. For the alcoholics, beer is the only drink available. It would be wise to call up to the restaurant a couple of hours in advance for reservations and directions (believe us, you will definitely need that!).



Under an old mango tree with the call of birds in the background, we settled for our meal. It felt like time stood still that afternoon; it was so peaceful and quite. Unfortunately, the food at Villa Pottipati is not so appealing :(
The carrot soup that we started with was bland and passable. Next was the compose salad which turned out to be the ordinary green salad in disguise. Sliced cucumber, shredded capsicum and carrots topped with some kind of sweet brown sauce and mayonnaise, it was nothing special.


Carrot soup


Salad compose

Following that was the capitan grill for me and chicken in orange sauce for Balaji. The capitan grill was a huge slice of grilled fish which tasted very good. The way it was presented, it looked like a dish from an Andhra restaurant, lemon wedges et al!


Capitan grill

The chicken in orange sauce was not bad either, the chicken succulent and the orange sauce, a tad too citrusy but still good.


Chicken in Orange sauce

Choice of dessert included a very ordinary tasting fruit salad and roasted pineapple with honey. Roasting had killed the taste of pineapple and it also smelled a little odd.


Fruit salad


Roasted Pineapple with Honey glaze

Service is good and unintrusive - something that naturally goes well with such an ambience.
If only Villa Pottipati served better and more innovative food, it would be the right place to laze over a satisfying lunch on a deliciously languid afternoon soaking up the old world charm amidst the peace and quite.

Did you know.......
................that the name Pottipati derives from a village in Andhra Pradesh from where the owners, the Reddy family, originally migrated to Bangalore?
................that this 120-year-old garden home was restored by award winning heritage hotel experts Francis Wacziarg and Aman Nath?

i-t.ALIA

The Park, 14/7, MG Road, Bangalore - 560042
Phone : 25594666
Email : tpbl@theparkhotels.com
Website : the parkhotels.com

Food : 3.75/5
Service : 3/5
Ambience : 3/5
Meal for 2 : Rs 3000

There is no sincerer love than the love of food - George Bernard Shaw.


Happy Valentines Day!

We chose to go to i-t.ALIA last month on Valentine's day to celebrate our love for food (amongst other things :)). That this Italian restaurant is based in the IT hub of the country is the reason behind the interesting way it is spelt.
The interiors are done up elegantly. Dark wood on the floors and crisp white linen on the tables creates an atmosphere of subdued sophistication. Dim lighting and candles set the mood for a cosy dinner; the fixed menu specially arranged just for Valentine's day.



The meal had four courses with three to four choices in each course and included a glass of sparkling wine. There was ample choice for vegetarians as well as non-vegetarians. A bread basket with freshly baked goodies, olive oil and vinegar served alongside arrived at the table while we waited for our first course.


Mini pizza hearts

For appetizers, I chose mini pizza hearts. The pizzas were topped with juicy mixed mushrooms, grilled shrimps and chewy mortadella. Delicately spiced, the mortadella was the tastiest topping of the three.
Balaji went for a salad of roast chicken with watermelon, feta and black olives; skeptical about the combination of watermelon with chicken, he nevertheless gave it a try. A unique blend of sweet and meaty tastes, the salad was interesting. The best part of it were the bits of basil that let out a distinctive flavour in the mouth and enhanced the taste of the salad.

Salad of roast chicken with watermelon, feta and black olives

The primo was prawn and fennel risotto with sambuca for me and a four cheese risotto for B. I love the aromatic taste of fennel, so there was no way I could not like the excellent risotto!! The prawn was done just right... not too overcooked, and was fresh.


Prawn and fennel risotto with sambuca

Balaji's risotto was a little too heavy for my taste, what with generous amounts of parmesan, fontino, gorgonzola and mascarpone in it, but is sure a treat for cheesy tastebuds.

Four cheese risotto

This was followed by a rose petal sorbet. This is supposedly a culinary tradition to cleanse the palate between courses.

Rose petal sorbet

Balaji had grilled lamb chops with pistachio crust, sauteed mushrooms and rosemary jus for the secondo. The well done chops were generously seasoned with ground pistachios. Paired with shiitake and button mushrooms, this dish was a delight.

Grilled lamb chops with pistachio crust, sauteed mushrooms and rosemary jus

I opted for olive crusted salmon, couscous and crabmeat sauce. Being the sea'foodie' that I am, I relished the delectable slice of salmon. Salmon, usually quite subtle in flavour was spiked with the crabmeat sauce to make an interseting and delicious combination. The couscous tasted something like our desi upma. It is made of semolina and is cooked in almost the same way!

Olive crusted salmon, couscous and crabmeat sauce

The portion of salmon was quite large and I was nearly full by now but how can I say no to dessert? ;) Succulent strawberries marinated in champagne(reminded me of 'Pretty Woman') seemed to be the perfect way to end a very fulfilling dinner.

Champagne marinated strawberries

Balaji's dessert was nemesis, chocolate and cointreau cup, white chocolate and blueberry mousse. Delicious!

Nemesis, chocolate and cointreau cup, white chocolate and blueberry mousse

Service at i-t.ALIA is spiffy. No complaints on that front. The staff seems knowledgable on the food served and is helpful in suggesting the right choices for you.
i-t.ALIA lives up to its reputation of the best Italian restaurant in town. The right place for a decadent meal well worth the indulgence!!

Did you know.......
..........that the secret behind the perfect risotto are the short-grained classic Italian varieties of rice such as Arborio and Carnaroli? And good news for those who want to try it at home - this rice is now being imported to India.
.........that the constant gentle stirring required while making risotto abrades and removes starch from the rice surface so that it can thicken the cooking liquid to a creamy consistency?
.........that the term 'sherbet' is derived from the Turkish word for sorbet, serbat which in turn comes from Arabic?
...........the word basil comes from the Greek basileus, meaning "king", as it is believed to have grown above the spot where St.Constantine and Helen discovered the Holy Cross?