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

New Menu at Alba, JW Marriott Bangalore

Alba, the Italian fine dining restaurant at JW Marriott has been one of my favorite places to dine.  I have usually celebrated some of my and my friend's special days here. Some of my favorites have always been Insalata, risotto, ravioli and their desserts.

When I heard about some new additions to the menu, I couldn't resist myself but try them. Celebrating my dad's birthday, I and Mom visited Alba for dinner. Chef Antonello greeted us and presented the set menu which one can choose from or order from the menu. We chose the set menu for the dinner.

I recently had a very bad experience of my memory card getting corrupted and the pics were not recoverable. With some help, I could get some pics which I will upload in this post. Apologies for the one's missing.

We started with Antipasti, while I chose Insalata Di Asparagie Bocconcini Alle Olive, a veg Italian salad with mixed greens, olives, tomatoes, bocconcini, asparagus, extra virgin crouton. I loved every bite of it and will go again for this. Mom chose Coscette Di Pollo Alla Aceto Balsamico, which is grilled chicken with lemon, rosemary, balsamic and caponnata. I had a taste of this too but couldn't make a judgement with a bite.

Next course was Zuppa, I chose Minestrone Alla Contadina, a veg soup with locally sourced vegetables, tomato and basil and Mom had Zuppa Di Cipolle, Finocchietto E Pollo, chicken, baked onion and fennel soup. While the veg soup was very refreshing, the chicken soup was a little sweet. I liked both and couldn't choose one as my favorite.

Next course was Primi, after having vegetarian in the first two course I chose the non veg option. While I had Cotoletta Di Pollo Alla Parmigiana, which was Chicken parmigiana, mozzarella, spagetti pomodoro. I did not enjoy the chicken as I found it hard and dry but I really liked the spaghetti pomodoro. Next time, I would like to have a course of only spaghetti pomodoro. I remember, in my earlier visit too, I never enjoyed the chicken much.

Mom had Triangoli Di Ricotta which was spinach-ricotta ravioli with parmesan truffle cream sauce. Both of us liked this a lot and my love for ravioli remains :)

While I had the main course, I also had a spicy mocktail with a base of guava juice. Now spicy mocktails have caught my attention lately and this one too was liked. I guess I will try making this at home as it tasted refreshing.

I was still hungry for some more food so before heading to the last course, I ordered for some Veg risotto which I and Mom shared and after this, I was contended.

Before we ate our last course of meal, Chef wanted to show me how he made Amaretti define amaretti which is an Italian almond-flavoured biscuits. It was such a treat to watch him make the biscuits and sharing his experiences from Italy while he made them.

And for the last course Dolci, I chose Bonet which had Amaretti on a chocolate pudding while Mom took advantage of me getting busy with the chef in conversation and ate Tiramisu which had Mascarpone, coffee and lady fingers.

The quantity of Tiramisu was big and a huge amount of time was taken to finish the cup full of Tiramisu. Bonet was a different dessert for me to try and I liked the presentation and the taste of it, especially amaretti which was made in front of me.

I initially thought the quantity of the course could not be filling but by the end of the meal, especially Tiramisu I was full. Who would want to leave the restaurant when Chef Antonello starts playing his guitar and sings some amazing songs. Chef started playing his guitar and he was joined by his guest friend and a quick jamming session started while we sipped on some Cappuccino to end the dinner.

It was a fabulous night with amazing food served. Thanks to chef Antonello and Chef Grenal was serving us and treating us so well.

New Pizza's at California Pizza Kitchen

I visit California Pizza Kitchen again, you can read about my last visit here. This time, CPK, as it is fondly called has introduced 6 new pizza's which are 9 inch pizza which one can enjoy at Rs.249 plus taxes from Monday to Friday. Head to CPK before this limited offer.

Let me write down some of the pizza's which I tried along with their starters and my favorite desserts. I had some of my usual quenchers during my visit.

























I have to mention this, Lettuce wraps with shrimps, is a must try for me. It had wok seared shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, carrots and green onions tossed in soy ginger sauce along with shrimps. It is served with spicy ginger sauce and iceberg lettuce cups. A little sweater to taste but taste best with the lettuce.

Spicy chicken supreme was next and was recommended by the chef too. It had panko coated boneless chicken strips fried and tossed in their special tangy wing sauce, served with crispy tortilla salad and herd ranch sauce. It was a hit on my table which the order being repeated. Surely the best selling dish at CPK.

Chipotle grilled chicken was the last starter served. It had a smoky chipotle peppers marinated chicken strips, grilled and served with house salad and herb ranch dressing. It was juicy and liked by all. I preferred the other two starters over this.

Then came the pizza's. I mostly tried the non veg pizza's along with my favorite Kasundi pizza which I had earlier during my earlier visit.

Tijuana chicken pizza was first to be served on the table, it had an albuquerque sauce on a regular crust with mozzarella, grilled onions grilled chicken & sliced jalapenos in the style of tijuana. Garnished with cilantro. Regular crust aren't my favorite but it is filling, jalapenos gave a tangy taste to the otherwise bland pizza.

Apollo pizza was next which had garlic marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, roasted peppers, sliced mushrooms, grilled onions and marinated chicken. Good combination on thin crust pizza caught my attention and tasted good too. I preferred this over the previous one.

Spicy cilantro pizza was served. It had chicken with onion tomatoes and capsicum marinated in fresh coriander pesto and baked atop a thin crispy crust with mozzarella and cheddar cheese. The taste of the pizza's served got better with every pizza coming on the table and this was my favorite of the night. The coriander pesto did the trick. I hope this retains in the menu as I would enjoy this pizza upon my every visit.

I indulged in a little bit of Kasundi paneer pizza which is/was/will always be my favorite. It has makhani sauce, kasundi flavoured paneer, roasted peppers, tomatoes and onions. This pizza is little tweaked to the original pizza served earlier but this variety is also excellent and my favorite veg pizza at CPK. I'm glad that they retained this from the International Pizza and Beer festival menu.

Time for desserts and yes, this time I tried something more than the usual tiramisu.

Red velvet cake, is layer of moist cake with creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting and white chocolate curls. I have had better versions of this cake so this did not stand out for me but was tasty for sure.

Tiramisu, is the layer of rich Italian mascarpone cheese and espresso soaked lady fingers with a touch of kahlua topped with house-made sabayon and sprinkled with freshly grated dark chocolate. I just love this and enjoy it at almost all restaurants so here too I did like it.

White chocolate strawberry cheesecake, is one of the signature desserts, it is a mile high New York style cheesecake with an Oreo crust and swirls of sweet strawberry and white chocolate served with fresh whipped cream. Try this when you crave for something apart from chocolate or coffee. It does not have much of strawberry so do not hesitate.

Sticky toffee pudding, is topped with a rich and buttery caramel sauce, this toffee flavoured British style "pudding" garnished with pecan nuts just made a way to my taste buds instantly. I think my taste buds were waiting for a different taste which was provided from this pudding. I have visited CPK again just to try this dessert.

Chocolate banana cake, is a two flavours that were destined to be together. Rich and moist chocolate cake layered with banana cream and topped with a decadent chocolate ganache. A squiggle of banana creme sauce completes the dish. If you have a taste for banana then try this but do remember that this is a filling dessert. I enjoy banana and chocolate combo but this dessert fills my appetite when I have less pizza's.

From this visit, my favorite's are - Lettuce wraps with shrimps, Spicy chicken supreme, Spicy cilantro pizza, Kasundi paneer pizza and Sticky toffee pudding and Chocolate banana cake. What are your favorites?

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.