It is a particularly bad day for Bengaluru. It has rained incessantly and the traffic is awful. The only thing on our minds is to eat a sumptuous meal and relax. Caprese at Shangri La Hotel proves to be just right. The classy wood-panelled interiors and soft lighting make for a great ambience for a good meal. Caprese serves Mediterranean cuisine, including Italian fare, mezze platters and tapas.
With a glass of Sangria red wine, we are all set to sample the menu. First up is a selection of baked Italian breads: Ciabatta and focaccia are, of course, among the favourites. Being a pork lover, the Tapas Caseras of cured meat, including Parma ham, Soppressata, dried Italian salami, coppa, pork collar flavoured with ground pepper and cloves, are delicious. We devour the thinly sliced pieces of meat with relish.
Made of creamy burrata cheese, mozzarella and cream, roma tomato, basil, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil, the Caprese salad is sinful. But what is served next is the star of the meal: soft polenta and porcini mushroom. Polenta is boiled corn, and is often called Italian porridge. It flirts with your taste buds, and takes you right up to heaven. Then there is porcini mushroom, i.e. wild mushroom, cooked in gorgonzola cheese and green pea sauce that has a wholesome, creamy taste. The Mediterranean sea food soup is served artfully. In a bowl, two small pan-fried scallops are served. Then into it is poured the broth. Slightly spicy, the soup is light and quite tasty.
We then sample pan-fried sea bass, made with cauliflower puree, roasted tomato, garlic and black olives. It doesn’t impress as much as the other items, so we give it a pass. Next up is the risotto with mushrooms, made with scamorza cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. The risotto is several notches higher than the regular risotto served everywhere.
Even though we are filled to capacity, there is always room for dessert. We are glad we chose Tiramisu espresso. Do not expect a cup of some hastily put together tiramisu. This deconstructed tiramisu is prepared right in front of us, and in style. Freshly brewed espresso is poured over ladyfinger biscuit to soak it. Then the mascarpone cream is scooped out and layered on top of the biscuit, and then it is sprinkled with chocolate shavings. If you want to know what heaven tastes like, then you have to try the divine tiramisu espresso.
The cream is luscious and lands us in food coma. We forget our surroundings, and about the city’s worsening traffic. The meal makes us go mmmmm... We end dinner with cappuccino in the terrace, overlooking the glittering, midnight landscape of Bangalore, 18 floors above.
Food for thought
Caprese is located in Shangri La Hotel, Vasanthnagar. Lunch is served from 12 noon to 3.30 p.m. and dinner 7 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. It is closed on Mondays.
Contact: 45126460.
Speciality: soft polenta and porcini mushroom
Wallet factor: Rs. 3000 for a meal for two
