The restaurant is designed in simple earthy tones, with lots of framed paintings on the walls, well-picked cutlery and glassware; but it is not a very big space and feels a bit cramped. The waiters are friendly and polite, though a bit slow.
We went in on a hot afternoon, and I wanted to try a cold soup, if they had one. They didn't. So, we went for a Cranberry flavored Boston Iced Tea, which was light and refreshing, and Chef Willi's Health Elixir, a combination of 10 fruits and vegetables, which pretty much tasted like nasty beetroot juice. It was served in a very attractive glass, so I guess that took a little bit of the edge off it.
After poring over the soup choices, two of us went for the Pappa Di Pomodoro, a soup made from roasted tomatoes, garlic and artichoke hearts - it is the last item that attracted us to this soup, as ex-Farmville enthusiasts. The soup came in, and we were enchanted by the aroma and taste and were heaping praises on it. Suddenly, the waiter came rushing, and with an air of apology said that we had been served the Minestrone col Pesto (a very famous Italian vegetable soup) instead of the Pappa Di Pomedoro. He offered to replace the soup immediately, but gentiles that we were, the mistake was pardoned and forgotten. It also helped that the Minestrone was the best we have ever had.
We also went for the the Focaccia all'Aglio e Cipolla, a very soft and warm Foccacia with fried red onion on top; this was too mild for our palate, and was remedied by the addition of extra virgin olive oil and oregano.
Moving on to the main course, this place is famous for its wood-oven baked pizzas. We went for the Sicilana, a goat cheese/mozzarella combo with artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and olives. PLEASE stop eating at these American pizza outlets. This is how pizza is meant to be: a thin light crust, soft on the inside, crisp at the edges, a simple, aromatic sauce and simple, real Italian toppings, good quality cheese, high quality olive oil and of course the magic of wood oven baking. Easily, one of the best pizzas I have ever had.
For pasta, we chose a Penne Rigate (tube shaped) with a cream-based sauce. This also did not disappoint, but I would rate it at the bottom of the list of 3 main courses we had, nonetheless.
I am usually the one who picks the non-vegetarian choices, as my two friends are veggies. I had almost settled on the Ravioli di Emu (Ravioli with spiced Emu bird stuffing!!) but had a sudden change of mind, and chose the vegetarian Ravioli di Melanzane e Caprino - aubergine, goat cheese and sun dried tomato filling, tossed in a tomato sauce with olives. This was divine. I love Ravioli, and this is the first time I chose a vegetarian Ravioli, but was most certainly not disappointed. The pasta was soft and tasty and the sauce was a great complement to it.
Dessert time! Our three choices were Panna Cotta, a cream dessert flavored with vanilla and accompanied by a yummy berry compote; a Panna Cotta al Cioccolato, a chocolate flavored Panna Cotta, with vanilla ice cream and an orange compote as accompaniments, and a Torta Soffice di Mele, an apple/raisin cake with strawberry gelato. The only sore point here was the orange compote; while the berry compote was a rich concoction and tasty, the orange compote was just a few small slices of bitter orange, which was really disappointing.
A vegetarian meal for three will cost a little less than Rs. 3000. The food is sumptuous, but the portions can be bigger. There is a large variety to choose from for the veggies and an even larger spread for the non-veggies. I would suggest that the restaurant start serving alcoholic beverages, especially wine, as Italian food is meant to be had with wine. Also, some of the items on the menu might not be available when you visit.
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