Over the years Phil’s Bistro has remained on the top of the list of top food draws in the city. As the only restaurant exclusively serving Italian-American cuisine, once you are inside the cosy and comfortable eatery, you just can’t wait to taste the food.
The hands-on owner-cum-chef of the 48-seater bistro, Philip Abraham, has tweaked his menu with some freak-out dishes to celebrate his seven-year success story. And it is delicious news for his loyal customers and a delectable surprise for his new ones.
“Tables are fast getting booked,” he smiles bringing me the carrot and cumin soup – a puree of roasted carrot flavoured with cumin and finished with cream. With rains and nip in the air, the steaming bowl of creamy soup warms me up instantly.
With food plating and presentation increasingly becoming central to keep guests happy, Philip too showcases his creations to demonstrate to his guests that they are getting their money’s worth. The sweetest of watermelon chunks placed with long thin slices of cucumber rolled up and tossed in citrus (orange) glazed dressing drizzle with cute little homemade cottage cheese balls is a fine visual and edible masterpiece of a salad.
What arrives next is a surprise! Who puts fried aubergine and even deeper fried palm-sized basil leaves on your pizza? Philip does to deepen your allegiance with the Ratatouille pizza and further tops it with zucchini and bell peppers. The perfectly crusted pie layered with melted mozarella disappears in the mouth as does the delicate crispy fried folded pizza with minced meat and cheese called the chicken calzone.
The tomato risotto with vegetables is perfectly prepared Italian rice cooked in broth to a creamy consistency with tomato and a liberal dose of diced seasonal vegetables. With a feeble promise to myself that I will start exercising from day next, I say yes to the chicken and cream cheese ravioli (pasta stuffed with chicken, cream cheese and tossed in cream and basil sauce) that looks appetising in a lovely shade of green. And oh, the other new dish – fish francaise, fillet fish coated with egg and pan-fried and served with lemon butter sauce, grilled vegetables and mash potatoes. The flavours in all the items are well balanced for the perfect bite. And each deserves some time on the plate to relish it to satisfaction.
Ever since he set shop in K K Nagar in 2012, Philip has rarely let you down. He says he does not believe in fusion but likes to experiment with everything that is fresh. His desserts are usually the best to wrap-up the culinary journey. He recommends the eggless banoffee pie (tart filled with toffee, glazed banana and topped with cream) and berry cheese cake which is cookie-based topped with a mixture of cream cheese, strawberry and blue berry. I regret neither.
As part of the celebrations, there is a 15 per cent discount on your food bill till September 28.
