I always look forward to food joints opening in Delhi. Amalfi is one of the many restaurants to debut in the posh food market of GK-2, M Block. Hardly a month old, Amalfi is a nice Italian restaurant with a beautiful terrace and a selective food menu. The interiors of this unpretentious place have a raw finish with distressed paint effect, and cobble stone flooring which lends the feeling of an Italian street cafe.
It was a struggle for me was to climb to the second floor of the restaurant as the building does not have an elevator But once I was in it felt comfortable and homely.
Angad Batra, the owner of Amalfi, is quite passionate about his restaurant as most young owners are these days. I also found him very humble and particular about the food. Even the chef is very particular about customising the dishes according to the guests’ preference, which I appreciate. As I was feeling slightly cold, my eyes popped out to see pumpkin soup as zuppa of the day. After trying Gary Mehigan’s recipe of a pumpkin soup at home, I have fallen in love with its flavours.
I was impressed as the soup served at Amalfi was flavourful and perfectly textured. It was followed by poached chicken salad which was fresh but the pickled vegetables in it made it too tangy. For antipasti, gorgonzola soufflé tempted me to give it a try. And what a preparation it was, the soft soufflé blended very well with the perfectly made porcini mushroom sauce. Potato gnocchi with tomato basil sauce had true Italian flavors while the ravioli with red pumpkin stuffing was also worth a try. Spaghetti in garlic and olive flavours was not perfectly balanced as the garlic flavour suppressed the aroma of the olive.
But the real test for an Italian restaurant is always its pizzas. I had the smoked chicken and sun dried tomatoes with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Pizza was bursting with flavours but the base had a slight scope for improvement. It was still a great pizza to cherish. Saffron risotto is one delicacy which, even if made by an amateur, I will never say no to. Pan seared chicken in lemon butter sauce was tasty but the lemon made the sauce slightly tangy. But one thing for which I will visit Amalfi again and again is their Tiramisu. It’s a spoonful of heaven.
Meal for two: Rs.1200
