New menu at Alto Vino, Marriott Whitefield

Alto Vino is the Italian restaurant at Marriott, Whitefield. I have visited the restaurant's kitchen earlier but it was for Indian Culinary Route. This time I got a chance to taste all the new menu crafter by Chef Marou. He has joined as the new Italian chef at Alto Vino.

There are new additions to the menu by Chef Marou which will be added to the existing menu. I was part of the Chef's table which unveiled the new additions and I got to taste some of them.

For Antipasti, we had Bocconcini di Buffalo (Caprese salad with Mozzarella Bocconcini in sweet pesto sauce), Strudeli di Melazane (Strudell of Eggplant Parmigiana with light spicy tomato sauce), Bruschette Miste (Toasted Focaccia bread, fresh tomato, zucchini and mushrooms), Fegatini all Sciciiana (Chicken liver, Lemon confit with potato and onion stew), Polipetti alla Mediteranea (Braised octopus, chickpea puree, fresh tomato salad). All he antipasti were cooked well and I enjoyed caprese salad, bruschetta and eggplant parmigiana. I tried braised octopus for the first time and I liked it. I am not a liver fan so did not enjoy the chicken liver.

Next was Zuppa di faro (a vegetarian Italian spelt soup from Tuscany). I have always been a fan of a good zuppa so I relished every spoon.

For Secondi, Ravioli di Asparagi (Asparagus and ricotta ravioli in sage butter roasted pumpkins puree), Risotto al Gorgonzola (Risotto with Gorgonzola cheese and caramelised grapes), Scottata di Branzino (Pan seared sea bass, zucchini salad, shallot compote in terragon sauce) and the last one being Chef's signature dish Stnco D’agnello (slow cooked marinated lamb shang stew with red wine saffron risotto & winter vegetable). The ravioli was very tasty and the roasted pumpkin puree added the twist to it. In Risotto, gorgonzola cheese was very strong in taste and those who do have a taste to it will not enjoy this dish, I did not enjoy it. The sea bass was perfectly cooked and being a sea food person, I enjoyed it. Chef Marou's signature dish was a hit on the table, everyone loved the lamb shanks.

Lastly, for Dolci, Classic tiramisu and Gratineted zabaglione with Fresh strawberry. Both the desserts were delish, Tiramisu being my all time favorite Italian dessert and Gratineted zabaglione which is Italian dessert similar to egg custard with Fresh strawberry.

Overall the new additions to the menu is interesting and if you are around Whitefield and craving for some good Italian food then give Alto Vino a try. Do make prior reservations and make it a poiint to meet Chef Marou during your visit :) Happy eating!

As I was relishing every dish, I missed taking any pic so pic credits goes to @BLRMarriott Twitter

Indian Culinary Route at Bangaluru Marriott Whitefield

Bengaluru Marriott Hotel, Whitefield is all set to take Namma Bengaluru on a gastronomical journey. Get ready to experience the tastes and flavors from regions across India as the hotel brings the whole country on a platter for Bangaloreans. 12 Chefs from 12 cities of India will put their expertise together to create some extra-ordinary magic with food.  From Delhi’s Chole Bhature, Pune’s Vada Pav or Aaloo Parantha from Chandigarh, Bengaluru Marriott Whitefield will have it all under one roof cooked by our talented team of chefs.

In a 7 day galore, the hotel will bring on table different dishes with an authentic taste of flavors and spices from across the country. The fine dining restaurant M Café will host a dinner buffet from 7th to 13th September with 13th serving the last lunch. The buffet will have a wide spread variety of delicacies from Delhi, Chandigarh, Musoorie, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Lucknow, Kochi and Goa. Each chef will prepare 3 authentic dishes from their specific region consisting of a Main Course, Starter and a Dessert.

The Chefs who would be joining the bandwagon are Chef Deepak Rana from JW Marriott Mussorie, Chef Dinesh from JW Marriott Chandigarh, Chef Rohit Yadav from JW Marriott Delhi, Chef Ranjit from Marriott Jaipur, Chef Mitesh Saraiya from Courtyard by Marriott Ahmedabad, Chef Prashant Suryavanshi from Courtyard by Marriott, Hinjewadi, Chef Thirumal from Bengaluru Marriott Whitefield, Chef Madhusudan from Marriott Hyderabad, Chef Satish Reddy from Courtyard by Marriott Chennai, Chef Saji from Marriott Kochi, Chef Shanavaz Qureshi from JW Marriott Mumbai, and Chef Selester from Marriott Goa.

On September 7th, I joined Bangaluru Marriott Whitefield for a cook off competition along with other bloggers from Mumbai and Bengaluru and the competition was judged by Suresh Hinduja. In my team, Me, Adarsh from The Big Bhookad and Subhasmitha from The Flavours of Kitchen cooked Goan Prawn curry under the guidance of Chef Selester from Marriott Goa. Chjef Selester and other chef's who were guiding the bloggers, were hand-cuffed and were not allowed to touch. It was a good learning experience and really fun to cook in the Marriott Kitchen and have a healthy competition. This was followed by lunch which was cooked by all of us.

All the best to the entire team and Chef Raheel for the Indian Culinary route :)

The Italian festival at Bene, Sheraton Bangalore

And I was at Bene again, this time for the Italian festival. My earlier visits have always been great and I was glad to exclusively review the festival. For those who haven't read my earlier blog post, you should read it. The Italian menu is crafted by Chef Mori La Greca from Sheraton Milan.

Chef Moris started his career in Milano in 2001. He progressed from most fashionable clubs in Milan to a well-renowned restaurant La petit plage in Juan les Pins, France. He is now heading at ll Canneto as master chef at the Iconic Sheraton Milan. He has come to Bangalore to share his delicious dishes with the people of Bangalore.

After a conversation with Chef Moris and Chef Marty, executive chef at Sheraton Bangalore, we learnt a lot about the festival. Chef Moris isn't very well off with English but the way he communicated was impressive. he made sure he asked for our preferences and made all our food from the scratch. As the menu was very vast, it was very difficult for me to choose my meal for the evening. I left it to Chef Moris's choice and trusted him completely with my meal.

The pictures of the meal are of baby portion. So do not judge the portion by this blogpost. The variety of choices on the menu is something to watch out for. The non veg section has variety of meat and sea food too. One must try it for a meaty delight. Well, the veggies also have a great option. Pretty happy to see such a menu catering to veggies and non veggies very well. Well, if you are a vegan then inform the chef and he will cook something specially for you.

To begin with, a cranberry iced tea was refreshing after a hectic and hot day. After this I enjoyed a watermelon mocktail during my meal.

Antipasti (Appetizers)

Started my meal with Capesante scottate passito papkrika, crema di lentichhie which was Pan seared scallops with paprika and brown lentil sauce. It looked like an art on the plate. With minimal ingredients, the taste of scallops was enhanced. Did you notice the small flowers used for plating? Chef Marty who loves gardening, enjoys plating with flowers and veggies grown in Sheraton garden. So Chef Moris took his advice on the same.

Insalatina di astice, verdurine di stagione con coulisi di pomodoro piccante which was a lobster salad with seasonal vegetables with spicy tomato coulis was served. Yay I was happy to see lobster on my plate. The plating was done beautifully. Chef Marty informed us that the veggies were chemical free as they were procured from First Agro farms, taking me back to time during my visit to the First Agro farms.

Soup

Minestra di Zucchine was served which was a Green zucchini soup with mascarpone. I wish it was non veg but nevertheless. It was creamy and very filling. I am sure a regular portion can fill a normal person.

Pizza

A simple Pizza Margherita with served which had mozzarella, tomatoes and fresh herbs. It was a clean sweep on the table. It is quite light to eat and a simple pizza. I enjoyed every bite.

A veg calzone was also served. I don't remember the Italian name, unfortunately. It was served hot and filled with goodness of veggies.

Primi Piatti (Pasta Dish)

Cannelloni di anatra, ricotta funghi e crocante di parmigianno. This is a Cannelloni of duck with ricotta cheese, mushrooms and crispy parmesan. I'm fond of trying different meat so I was excited for this. It was cooked perfectly and the meat tasted good. a filling dish, I'm going back for this again.

I Risotti (Rice Dish)

Risotto ai Funghi porcini, this is a risotto with chicken, fresh herbs and truffle oil. I have a taste for risotto so I enjoyed every spoon. The rice was cooked well and the taste of chicken with herbs added to the flavor.

I Dolci (Sweets & desserts)

Mousse di ricotta, cioccolato, limone candito, cialda croccante e crema di pistacchi which is ricotta mousse, chocolate, candied lemon, crispy wafer and pistachio cream. I would like to have this a little more to write about it.

Tiramisu espuma is the Chef Moris style of Tiramisu served at Bene. Chef had all praises for the Tiramisu served at Bene so he gave us the pleasure to try the famous Bene Tiramisu and also his version. I was in love with Chef's Moris's version which is a foamed Tiramisu making a light dessert, I could have another serving of this for sure.

Bene Special tiramisu

Tartino di cioccola, crema inglese vanilla e gelato alla canella was served last which is a chocolate fondant with vanilla sauce and homemade vanilla cinnamon ice cream. A mix of hot and cold on the plate, is always a delight like Jalebi and ice cream? The ice cream compliments the fondant and it is a filling dessert. Chef Moris was very particular about the cream used for plating too.

The Sommelier, Viraj is expected to pair each dish with a wine. The management is expected to launch a four - five course meal, with and without wine soon.

If you are confused with the meal then leave the choices with Chef Moris and tell him your preferences and let him do the magic.

The Italian festival starts on 21st March and ends on 29th March. Make sure you enjoy the taste of Italy in Bangalore during this time. Chef Moris will be glad to serve you.