The North Italian Food Festival @ Alto Vino | Marriott Whitefield | Bangalore
19:41 |
| Potato Gnocci with lamb ragout and cream of parcini |
We, as in those who love food think about Cuisine in general but rarely do we think about the regions involved especially when it comes to foreign Cuisine. For us, there is North Indian, South Indian, Punjabi, Bengali etc. so the same applies for other Cuisines too!
So, this time we were invited to Alto Vino, Marriott Whitefield’s
specialty Italian restaurant for experiencing their one of a kind North Italian
Food Festival, specially curated by Chef Marou who himself hails from Northern
Italy.
Although Italian Cuisine has the same base concept, different
regions use different herbs and ingredients and techniques so there is a lot
more involved than it seems.
We had Mr. Viraj Sawant with us for dinner who is a well-known
sommelier and he talked a lot about the wines which he had chosen to pair with
the food. We had two white variants and a red. The first one was citrusy and acidic,
the second variant called Gavi had mellowed notes. Lastly the red did not have
the kick we expected but had the correct amount of tartness.
We tried a set menu which was specially crafted for wine
pairing. Let us take you through the highlights of our North Italian meal:
There were not many items which were served and most of them
were sample portions except for the main course.
We started our meal with Slow Cooked Veal served with Tuna
and Capers sauce. The Veal was excellently done. The presentation was good and
it was served with a lot of greens. The tuna sauce was mildly sweet with the
characteristic essence.
Next up was the Chickpea soup with winter vegetables.
Traditionally this is served with shredded pork but we were served without it.
The soup had lots of carrots and chickpeas but the special part was the
mozzarella which gave it a unique kick!
Following this we had the best item of the evening: Potato
Gnocchi, toasted with lamb ragout and cream of parcini. This was a total
knockout, being insanely tasty and presented well! The Gnocchi was soft and
smooth while the lamb ragout was all about natural flavours. The dish was
creamy and along with the lamb it was just a little too good.
 |
| Amuse Bouche |
 |
| Slow Cooked Veal with Tuna & Capers sauce |
 |
| Chickpea soup with winter vegetables |
 |
| Marinated Seabass toasted in cherry tomatoes, olives, capers and potatoes |
 |
| Marinated Chicken Breast with melted Fontina cheese, tagliolini pasta and black truffle |
Now for the mains: we tried both Marinated Breaded Chicken
Breast with melted Fontina cheese, tagliolini pasta and black truffle and Marinated
Seabass toasted in cherry tomatoes, olives, caper and potatoes.
The size of the chicken was good and it was cooked
perfectly. The cheese went well with the chicken but the star of this dish was
the pasta served along with it and the black truffle. The pasta was al dente
with the right amount of creaminess and the characteristic of truffle.
The fish was more of comfort food. The quantity of fish was
good and it was well done. The potatoes & olives tasted great with the
sauce.
Finally, dessert:
The Crunchy Chocolate and Strawberry Pannacotta was high on
taste but the wobble was not quite there, indicating it was probably over
frozen.
 |
| Crunchy Chocolate & Strawberry Pannacotta |
There was a lot of chocolate inside which gave the crunch.
The strawberry coulis also went very well with the pannacotta. The presentation
was amazing!
Now that’s a short & sweet representation of our
experience at this grand festival.
The festival is on till the 9th of March, so do
try and visit if you can’t stop yourself!
The regions of Italy which inspired this unique festival are: Piemonte, Lombardia, Valle D'aosta & Liguria. These regions mark the origin of the above mentioned dishes.
Our personal recommendation: The Gnocchi. It is so good that
it is actually worth travelling and diving into. The others were formidable
too, but not everything suits everyone.
We’ll be back soon.
Do let us know about your experience if you visit!
Till then—chillax & bon apetit!
2 comments
I love those foods that can be paired with wine. Seems like that it worths a try to visit your restaurant :)
ReplyDeleteHey Athalia! Thank you for your comment. We write about our dining experience. We were invited to this restaurant for this festival :)
ReplyDelete