Eating out - Italy? Never mind

Spaghetti Kitchen, has a spread that's mind-blowing, and after a point you don't really care about authenticity

July 07, 2011 08:27 pm | Updated 08:27 pm IST - Bangalore

CAN'T IGNORE Even the complimentary bread.

CAN'T IGNORE Even the complimentary bread.

I will make you an offer you cannot refuse, and it does not involve dead horses in your bed. On second thought it really doesn't bode too well to start a food review with references to dead barn animals. It was merely for the benefit of some drama and me to show off with some commonplace “Godfather” knowledge, besides this week the menu is Italian which should explain it.

Lunch is at Spaghetti Kitchen, and I am slightly wary because they also share their space with Copper Chimney, the Indian place downstairs. A flight of stairs in baby steps transports me from Mughalai royalty to Italian ceramics in bright hues and coloured glass.

You know how you always tend to ignore the complimentary bread that is laid out for you. So while I waited for my guest to join me, I nibble elegantly on the bread sticks they put out for me. Before I knew it, I had single-handedly devoured it all. Lesson for the day, never ignore the complimentary bread.

So now that the guest has arrived, my mango daiquiri served and the bread sticks replenished, it is time. We begin the meal with insalata tabouleh di quinoa, a tabouleh vegetarian salad with toasted quinoa grain, tomatoes, bell peppers, green beans….. Actually just think of anything healthy and you will find it in this salad. A quick crash course about quinoa, a star grain from the pre-Columbian civilisation, quinoa has in recent times been greatly appreciated for its nutritional value. And the chef imports this gluten free grain especially from Peru.

This was followed by the fregola ai asparagi e caprino, this pasta bears striking resemblance to our local sago, although Google confirms that the two have nothing in common, except appearance. The fregola is a fresh and tangy combination of tomatoes and herbs and goat cheese. A summery platter that settles down rather comfortably, with minimal guilt.

Enough cannot be said about Italian pizza, it is usually a nauseating carousel of thin crust, cheese crust, oven-baked, and extra cheese. Everyone wants to impress and bring it to you, straight from its birth-place in Neapolitan. At Spaghetti Kitchen the pizza pazza complete with porcini mushrooms, mozzarella di buffalo, pepperoni salami, truffle oil and lemon. The truffle oil is a pleasant twist giving it a unique but glorious flavour and the lemon brings the zest.

After the breadsticks, the star of the meal was the cotoletta di pollo alla parmiggiana. The plate came loaded with a breast of chicken, breaded with parmesan and topped with oven-baked semi-dried tomatoes, some Swiss mozzarella and tomato salsa on rocket leaves. And if you have not cleaned your plate well enough for it to be reused, I will finish it up for you.

Add an aglio, pollo, or corleone anywhere in the name of a dish and watch as it instantly becomes Italian. Dessert is the chocolate bomb trevi, I'm not quite sure if it has anything to do with Italy or her neighbouring countries, but when it is as decadent as this baked chocolate pudding that is bursting with molten chocolate you stop caring about authenticity. Couple this with some creamy vanilla gelato and your meal is complete.

Visit Spaghetti Kitchen, 1st floor, 100 ft road, Indiranagar. Call 41113500.

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