The Risotto Fare @ Ottimo | ITC Gardenia | Bangalore

The Risotto Fare @ Ottimo | ITC Gardenia | Bangalore

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.



Italian Brunch @ Via Milano | Koramangala | Bangalore


It is quite rare that we come across an eatery which somehow seems to please us in a different way and we cannot stop thinking about it. Sometimes it is the ambiance, sometimes the courtesy of the staff, sometimes the food of course and sometimes we actually do not know but we are attracted!

This happens to every individual no matter how aware they are! We recently visited a restaurant specializing in Italian Cuisine and we were captivated with the entire setup.





The restaurant we are talking about is Via Milano, situated in Koramangala 1st block Bangalore and it is a very quaint joint with a sober and soothing ambiance. From the outside, one can feel the European design with outdoor seating arrangements. The interiors were also fascinating with wooden tables and chairs.






They serve an assortment of breads with garlic butter at the table along with three varieties of oils: olive oil, chili olive oil and the third we forgot :P



We tried out their brunch set menu and it was fabulous to be honest! It was a three course brunch with starters, main course and desserts. We also tried some other items apart from this brunch menu which we will be talking about as well.

For starters we were served chicken lollipops in barbeque sauce, chicken parmesan fingers and smoked chicken salad. The portions were decent and perfect for a delicate meal.



The lollipops had the typical hot and sweet flavour of barbeque sauce and were covered with herbs which gave it a distinct taste like we never had before! The chicken was perfectly cooked throughout and we honestly wanted to have more. The chicken parmesan fingers were unique. The fingers were crispy, had the aroma of cheese throughout and had parmesan cheese sprinkled all over. This one is also guaranteed to make you want more!

Lastly the smoked chicken salad was very well balanced. The chicken slices had a delicate smoky flavour along with red and green lettuce. The combination was slightly bitter and the cherry tomatoes provided a hint of sweetness which balanced the salad perfectly. This was a great palate cleanser too.

Moving on to the main course items:

There were 3 items: one grilled chicken, red snapper with parmesan and penne arrabiatta with chicken.

The pasta was delicious with a tangy flavour and had small chunks of chicken distributed. The snapper was well done and was very tasty. This is the first time we tasted snapper and we really liked it. The fillet was topped off with parmesan and herbs and it was superb!



Lastly the grilled chicken was wow! The chicken was cooked throughout and was slightly sweet. Some portions of the chicken had the skin on and after grilling it tasted fantastic. It was also light on the stomach at the same time indicating that it was a very simple yet marvelous preparation.

After this we were supposed to end our Italian brunch but we thought of gorging some more ;)

We tried the seafood risotto, grilled prawns wrapped with bacon and chicken pesto baked with mozzarella and crushed potatoes and asparagus.



The seafood risotto was the only disappointing dish. The Arborio rice was well made and tasted good but it could have been a bit better. It was slightly bland and the quantity of octopus and prawns could have been more.



The prawn preparation consisted of jumbo prawns including the head wrapped with strips of bacon. It tasted different when had together and tasty of course. The prawns were delicately grilled so that the juiciness was intact and the stir fried bacon went well with it.



The pesto chicken was unique and was lip smacking. There were two huge chunks of chicken, cooked with herbs and baked mozzarella on top. The chicken was so tasty that if we had more stomach space we would have made more! There was also a separate potato, asparagus and olive pie kind of thing served which had a very sharp taste and many might not like it. We felt the problem was with the strong flavour of olives which needed to be balanced better.

This brunch affair was definitely something! Only the sweet dishes left:

There were three desserts served: Mango panna-cotta, semi fredo and the chocolate lasagne.

The panna-cotta had an even consistency throughout and was topped off with mango jelly. It had the right amount of sweetness and was topped off with a mint leaf. The semi fredo was a sandwich shaped mixture of almonds, crème and butterscotch. It tasted heavenly and had an amazing smooth consistency along with the crunch of the butterscotch.



 The chocolate lasagne was a wonder! It had dark chocolate as its base, then white chocolate with crème, then milk chocolate with crème and topped off with chocolate sauce. The best thing about this dessert was the chocolate overload and its smooth texture: Great stuff!!

So, finally our lunch was complete. The desserts gave a perfect ending to a near perfect lunch.

Now time for the scores:
Food/Taste: - 4.5/5
Quantity: - 4/5
Ambiance: - 4.5/5
Service: - 3/5

We really liked this place and are thinking of making it our Italian destination.

So, if you are in the mood for some Italian food of great quality and a good price you can definitely give this place a shot!

Till next time—bon appétit!

  
Via Milano Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Rudra On Zomato

view my food journey on zomato!

The FLB on Instagram

Priyanjana On Zomato

view my food journey on zomato!