The Risotto Fare @ Ottimo | ITC Gardenia | Bangalore
14:30
Which cuisine comes to your mind when you think of romance?
For us, like most people we associate Italian Cuisine with
romance and during this time of the year i.e. around mid Feb when love is in
the air, we were invited to the Risotto Festival of Ottimo, ITC Gardenia called
the Risotto Fare.
This post will be all about Risottos and how beautifully
they were made. Before that, the setting of Ottimo is truly unforgettable. The
open kitchen, the theme of the restaurant, the service, the food & wine and
the tunes are bound to make your dining experience unlike any other.
Food at such premiere and iconic joints tends to be as authentic
as it gets. We were given a small demo on Risotto making before we went on to
taste them.
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| Risotto with Jerusalem artichoke, sage butter and Parmigiano |
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| Black ink risotto with seafood and squid dumpling |
We tasted two Risottos as a part of the demo: Risotto with
Jerusalem artichoke, sage butter and Parmigiano and Black ink risotto with
seafood and squid dumpling. They use separate ingredients for each type of
Risotto and even the type of Arborio rice. The amount of effort it takes is
inspiring. Starch is a major factor in Risottos and that it what makes the end
result so creamy and mouth-watering. [Although it is fattening]
The former was a plain Risotto with not too much complexity.
It was creamy and the Artichoke chips added a slight crunch to it. The latter
was mind blowing and the best Risotto of the ones we tried. Made with pasteurised squid ink, this risotto was filled with a variety of seafood:
squid, prawns, fish & cuttlefish. The colour was magnificent and so was
the presentation, taste and aftertaste!
After this we tried the Porcini Mushroom risotto. Same old
great taste with mushrooms and also drizzled with shaved dried mushrooms on top
to give that extra feel! For those who love mushrooms, this is a must try.
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| Breads |
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| Double chicken risotto with sous vide spicy chicken |
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| Saffron Risotto with lamb shank, marrow crumble and lemon gremolata |
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| Roasted bellpepper and gorgonzola risotto |
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| Green Asparagus Risotto |
Next up: two more non-veg risottos, The Double chicken risotto
with sous vide spicy chicken and The Saffron Risotto with lamb shank, marrow
crumble and lemon gremolata.
The Chicken Risotto had a small tower of crusted chicken and
it was cooked to perfection. It had a pink colour and was soft and tender. This
risotto had a lot of seeds in it so meaty, crunchy and creamy now that’s
something isn’t it?
Lastly, the Lamb Risotto was simple yet satisfying. The
saffron risotto actually had the aroma of saffron. The lamb shank was cooked
beautifully and just fell off the bone.
All the Risottos were plated beautifully apart from tasting
excellent.
From the desserts:
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| Torta Caprese |
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| Banana Gelato with Caramel sauce |
If you love chocolate, the Torta Caprese is the one to
try. Leaving the theatrics aside, it is a sinful and chocolaty dessert.
The Banana Gelato with Caramel sauce is as the name
suggests. It is not as sweet as the Torta Caprese and the flavour did justice.
There are plenty more risottos as a part of the Risotto Fare
and we tried only a handful of them.
That’s all from our side folks!
This festival ends on the 20th of Feb so still
quite some time left to indulge.
We’ll be back soon with something tempting.
Till then—stay tuned and bon apetit!
4 comments
The mushroom risotto looks delicious! Risotto when made well can be the most delicious Italian dish ever :)
ReplyDeleteIt happens every time I see delicious food! I want them all :)
ReplyDeleteRisotto looks yum... well written mate
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this wonderful blog with us. Photos is looking delicious and yummy . I am glad to see this.Keep posting like this.
ReplyDelete