Mezzeluna greets us with warm lights, mosaics and a whiff of freshly-baked bread, teleporting the diner to another land. The rustic interiors reinforces the authentic Italian feeling. Chef Armando di Fillipo looks perfectly at home in this setting.
The chef breaks the bread, which glistens as he drizzles it with olive oil, making the dish look picturesque and almost too perfect to eat. “All Italian homes have bread, olive oil and fresh vegetables, at any time of the day. We don’t eat much red meat, that is a common misconception. We eat a lot of seafood as we are surrounded on three sides by the ocean. We are quite vegetarian friendly.”
He then goes on to explain the new menu at Mezzeluna, and says, “To be a good restaurant we have to keep up with trends across the world. The new menu includes more sauces and some linguine. I try to introduce new dishes gradually. If I thrust a new concept or flavour onto the diners it may not be welcome.”
“The food culture in Bengaluru is good. I have tried a couple of restaurants and know the chefs. The population of the city is young and willing to experience a new flavour or texture in terms of cuisine,” observes the chef, who is known to create his own desserts, of which the most distinctive is the chocolate ravioli. When he serves us the dish we are bowled over by the dark islands of chocolate ravioli that float in a sea of milk. It is loaded with the cinnamon flavour. The tiramisu, a classic Italian dessert, comes as a perfect end to our meal.
Corn linguine pasta in aglio e olio sauce with grilled vegetable
Ingredients
Corn linguine pasta - 80 gm
Extra virgin olive oil: 50 ml
Chilli flakes
Salt
Chopped garlic
Chopped parsley
Mixed grilled vegetable: 100 gm. (carrot, baby corn, aubergine, zucchini and broccoli)
Black olives, sundried tomatoes for garnish
Method
In a non stick pan, pour olive oil and let it heat. Add garlic, a pinch of salt and one chilli. Cook on a slow flame without burning the garlic. Boil the pasta in salted water, drain, toss into the pan, add the grilled vegetables and toss well. Serve hot, garnished with olives, dried tomatoes and a generous sprinkling of chopped parsley.
Recipe, courtesy: Chef Armando di Filippo
