The heart of Delhi, Connaught Place has yet again started attracting restaurateurs. What I am noticing is that all the big brands, and even start-ups, are pumping in money to get a place in CP. One such recent one to enter the arena is Caffe Tonino.
The beautiful cafe located at the PVR Plaza building is surely a welcome addition. Done in yellow and white with a live wood oven for pizza gives a perfect Tuscan ambience. Delhiites have been following Tonino as it has been serving some of the best Italian food since its birth 10 years ago on MG road. The café is designed in such a way that one can enjoy a light cup of coffee or can have a lavish dinner with family and friends.
Well, I went for dinner the other day and started with a classic minestrone which tasted really good keeping the weather in mind. Perfect in texture, served piping hot, the soup gave an excellent start to the evening. Even the salad rucola con pere had the much-needed freshness which anybody after a hectic day at office would love to eat. Some antipasti to start with like pollo con balsamico piccante was a wonderful preparation. The chicken was perfectly grilled and glazed with balsamic reduction and chilli flakes served on a skewer.
The pineapple dip served with the grilled prawns gave a nice tangy flavour. I must say most of the dishes at Caffe Tonino by Chef Sharma are simple but tasty. In one word, simplicity is the USP of Chef Sharma’s food.
Apart from the pizzas, what one must have at Caffe Tonino is its pizza sandwich. A sandwich stuffed with sun dried tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, grilled zucchini, olives, rucola and basil with a thin crunchy crust to hold it.
Each bite of my pizza sandwich was to be cherished.
For the main course, I had spinach and ricotta tortelloni made in mushroom sauce which made it creamy and gave a nice robust kick. It was one of the best tortelloni I have had in recent times. Fish in lemon caper sauce was also cooked really well by keeping the core flavour of the fish intact.
I was full and skipped trying its pizza or lasagna and had space only for the desserts. Apart from ice creams, it’s the variants of sorbets which needs to be tried, especially the one with lime and coffee flavour.
Meal for two : Rs 1500 plus taxes
