Fresh milk versus long-life milk; three days versus three years shelf life…what would you choose? asks Chef Marco Prestano as he serves me fruity gelatos at Ci Gusta, the new Italian eatery in town. Marco, the gelato and pastry chef, has come all the way from Italy to help Naveen Vijayakumar perfect the Italian flavours at the Ci Gusta franchise. They have outlets in Hyderabad and Mumbai too. Ci Gusta translates into “We like it”! The batch freezer is already in place at the kitchen to dish out artisanal gelatos. “We need fresh raw materials for gelatos and that’s why it comes with limited shelf life,” says Marco.
I scoop up a spoonful of gelato and enjoy the smooth and creamy taste. It packs in the freshness of bananas and melts fast in the mouth. Marco says, though the gelato may be Italian, he has tried to use as many locally available fruits as he possibly can. And he loves the variety of bananas he finds here. “I am taking the red variety of bananas back home with me to Italy. In Europe, we make gelatos with strawberries, forest berries, pears, pineapples and peaches. Here, the local fruits are the mainstay.” Along with desserts and gelatos, there are freshly baked pizzas with classic thin crust and wheat crust base, straight out of a dome-shaped wood-fired oven.
Naveen is an engineer and is charged up about making a mark in the F& B industry. “I did my post graduation in manufacturing in U.K. But, it is difficult to get a job there, so I returned to Namakkal, my native place, and helped my dad in the family business of truck fabrication. Now I am happy to be associated with a big name like Ci Gusta. They are flexible and happy as long as we offer quality. So, we have included some Indian dishes to the menu too,” he says.
The strawberry pizza arrives out of the brick oven with a uniformly cooked golden crust topped with sliced strawberries, a sprinkling of corn, and melted cheese. It is delicious. The juicy, mushy strawberries have a divine smell and taste. “We offer wood-fired omelettes, chicken roast, pastas, barbecue, and tandoor items. Preparing some of these dishes may be time-consuming, but it is worth waiting, we tell our customers,” explains Naveen. For the moment there is only chicken on offer for the non-vegetarians. There is the uber chicken pizza made with cheese, chicken sausage, smoked chicken, chicken salami and red chillies which are a big hit. I sample the wood-fired pasta made in red sauce with parmesan, chopped garlic and a sprinkling of fresh herbs. It scores high on taste, flavours and appearance. Much better than the pasta made the regular way with white sauce on a normal stove. Naveen has a team of young chefs, P. Muruganantham, C. Lakshminarayan, and R. Ayyappan, all fresh out of college and open to experimenting with recipes. “We have spiced up the pizzas with Indian flavours. So along with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, olives and parmesan, go Indian spices, onions and chillies,” says Marco. He also whips up a cocktail made with kiwi extract, lime juice, sugar and mint leaves that leaves me totally refreshed.
Naveen took Chef Marco on a food tour of Coimbatore. “I tasted chicken biriyani, south Indian meals…it is spicy but I liked it. I come from South Italy where we bite into fresh chillies with food. I am packing red chillies from here along with buns and sweets,” he says. The chef says the vegetarian movement is happening in a big way in Italy. “They prefer vegan gelatos made without cream. We use vegetable fat and whip up many flavours like carrot and tomato. Milk and cream are considered non-vegetarian in Italy. So, we have a new line of gelatos made with water and vegetable juices. But gelato made with water is cold to the palate. I still like it cream and milk,” he says.
He has given an Indian twist to Tiramisu too. The soft sweet-sour sponge cake soaked in coffee and with a layer of mascarpone and a sweet dusting of cocoa has surprising mango pieces in it. There is panna cotta, pistachio mousse, chocolate mousse, crepes, waffles, gelato cakes and gelatos in rum& raisin, strawberries, forest berries, pistachio, peanut flavours and many more.
The wood-fired apple pie arrives on a wheat base. It has a heady mix of apple, honey and palm sugar. I can’t just stop with one.
Ci Gusta is located at Tristar Enclave, 657, Avanashi Road. Visit Ci gusta Coimbatore on Facebook or log on to www.alive2eat.com
Open from 12.30 p.m. to 11.00 p.m. Call 0422- 4202444
