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Ode to food

Spectacular interiors A view of Cibo restaurant

Cibo might literally mean “food” in Italian. But the recently opened Italian restaurant Cibo at Hotel Janpath is much more than just food. This Rohit Bal and Alok Aggarwal joint venture has succeeded in bringing the elegance of Milan and the baroque splendour of Rome under one roof. This is the duo’s second venture after the Indian restaurant Veda. The restaurant’s glory lies in the detailed motifs rather than its overpowering sculptures. Chef Andrea Sposini, from Umbira, Italy, has prepared the menu, which is divided into the traditional five courses that include appetisers, a first course of pasta, etc., a second course of meats, followed by salad and dessert.

Panzanella, a merry salad of ripe tomatoes, onions, cucumber, basil with Italian vinaigrette, is tweaked into something different because of the handful of soaked bread. The bread gives the salad a nice body. The parmigiana di melanzane or fried eggplant, oven-baked with tomato sauce fresh basil and mozzarella, is full of body but lacks any discernable taste. Antipasto misto is a classic appetiser consisting of a range of aged Italian hams and cured meats. Some of the hams are rather pungent and odorous, so if you are not used to it — give it a miss.

The Margherita pizza is a conventional but safe bet. But it is by watching chef Sposini that one learns about the ceremony with which a sliver of Margherita ought to be eaten. With an eye on the watch he expects the pizza to be delivered to the table in five minutes. He shows his displeasure at the delay on the tip of his nose. When it arrives, he takes a thin slice, folds it in two with his forefinger, takes a whiff and then a bite.

The wood-fired pizza meets his approval — and so it must meet ours.

Wanting something different, one goes for a plate of gnocchi with rucola pesto. Few Italian restaurants in the city offer this splendid potato pasta. The gnocchi is meltingly soft and simply dissolves on the tongue. The pesto gives that lovely freshness of basil, and the rucola herb adds a sardonic bitterness. The homemade fresh pasta is not up to the mark as it is rather too leathery to pass muster.

For the second course, the charcoal grilled prawns are a pure delight, as the succulent prawns marinated in white wine taste of gentle charcoal vapours.

To top it all, one concludes with parfait al caffè. This rich frozen dessert is made of all cream and sugar and tastes as heavy as it sounds! A charlotte made from Bavarian orange cream instead provides the perfect lullaby to the meal.

A meal for two will cost Rs.2000 (plus taxes)

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