The Hindu Business Line : Roma aroma

Delhi now has a Latin love... that country's delicious cuisine. Besides the old favourites, several new Italian eateries are captivating the Capital's taste buds.

Ritu Dalmia at Diva - picture by Anu Pushkarna

Delhi has a newfound love — Italian food. Al dente pastas, appetising antipasto, chunky cheese, rich risottos and fine wine are tickling the tastebuds in Tandoor land. And at restaurants such as Travertino, La Piazza, San Gimignano, Tonino's, Diva, Italiannis and more, a growing number of Delhi-wallahs are exploring the art of fine dining, the Italian way.

Not so long ago, one of the best dining experiences in the city was at La Piazza at Hotel Hyatt Regency. Twice voted the best restaurant for authentic Italian cuisine, it attracted well-heeled patrons with its wood-fire oven baked pizzas, delicious pastas and wines.

But with the opening of Travertino at The Oberoi (in collaboration with Hotel Hassler, Rome), La Piazza now has serious competition. Travertino offers the trendy gentry a realistically rustic experience. Hotel Hassler has placed one of its best professional teams to ensure the authenticity of classic Italian ristorante — Chef Tommaso Maddalena and Maitre D' Hotel Salvatore Scarpino.

"Travertino stands for great service, the finest of wines and authentic Italian cuisine which is neither flavoured nor spiced to make it taste Indian-Italian," says Scarpino.

Travertino at The Oberoi - picture by Ramesh Sharma

The restaurant that takes its name from the Travertine stone (a honey coloured, typically Italian stone) offers Italian specialities like the Breast of Guinea Fowl and Grilled Vegetables in Balsamic Vinegar, apart from delectable pastas and lasagne.

Before the restaurant opened to the public, Chef Maddalena began training his Indian counterpart in the art of preparing Italian cuisine. "At first it was tough to make them appreciate the subtleties of Italian food. Though the flavour was strong, the dishes needed less seasoning. So, for three weeks, we cooked and cooked till everyone understood the refinement and the delicacy required to whip up a great dish," he says.

Maddalena who takes pride in personally preparing everything, down to the sauces, says, "Now, even though I (still) supervise and put the finishing touches, my team of chefs makes great Italian food and our guests love it."

The clientele includes travellers, businessmen and connoisseurs of good food. "Most people are full of praise which is very encouraging. However there are some who don't much care for the original flavour. I remember someone saying he would need more time to understand and appreciate the fare," says Scarpino.

San Gimignano at Delhi's Hotel Imperial, inspired by the medieval town in the heart of Tuscany, and Italiannis at Hotel Radisson too offer a scrumptious Italian experience.

But if you are looking for something special then head for Diva, whose owner Ritu Dalmia says that most people who come to her restaurant to sample Italian food simply get hooked.

Ritu began her career as a marble miner and developed a liking for Italian cuisine during her many business trips to Italy. Soon she began learning the art of Sicilian cooking from Anna Tasca Lanza, the owner of one of Italy's finest vineyards, who bartered her secret recipes for tips on spicy Indian cuisine.

At age 22, she `retired' from her family's marble business and entered the Italian food business. She ran two restaurants — Mezzaluna and Vama — before she opened Diva. "Mezzaluna taught me hospitality and Vama, the operations; I blended them both in Diva," says Ritu.

Diva's menu is contemporary and eclectic, making it a popular dining place. In fact, the Italian embassy in Delhi invited Ritu to set up a branch at its premises. "That was the best compliment I could ever get. The Italians who eat here love my food." Though there are similarities in Indian and Italian food, the former is far more complicated to cook, she says.

"Italian cooking is much more relaxed. Even though all the oils, cheese, sauces and smoked cold cuts are imported from Italy, the actual preparation is simpler," she says.

If Diva changes its menu every two months to retain patronage, the swank Tonino's on the Delhi-Gurgaon Road has a fixed Sunday Brunch, which draws in the well-heeled crowd.

According to owner Simran Sawhney, the restaurant is named after a famous Italian pizza chef. Her husband had tasted Tonino's food during a trip to Italy and promptly decided to open an eatery that would serve similar food.

The restaurant is styled like a Tuscany villa, complete with whitewashed walls and a green-slate roof. One can eat either basking in the sun or reclining on comfortable lounge chairs.

Tonino flew down from Italy to personally train the chefs. Though the wine collection needs to be perfected, the delicious food makes up for it.

Unlike Travertino or Diva, Tonino's serves scrumptious pizzas alongside conventional treats such as Spinach Tortellini. The trendy menu also boasts of offbeat delicacies such as Salmon and Red Snapper marinated in oil and garlic.

Changing taste buds

Simran feels times have changed and Indians are becoming more adventurous about what they eat. Foreign cuisines no longer need to be Indianised to suit consumer's palate.

Ritu agrees. "Restaurant hoppers today know their cuisine and you simply can't mess with them. Over the years, Diva has developed a regular clientele between the ages of 16 and 70, and we hardly ever see a new face."

However, she recalls an interesting incident from the early days when a family walked in, mistaking the restaurant's name to be `Divya', and ready to eat butter chicken and naan. Ritu persuaded them to try the Italian fare and prepared Chicken Cacciatore for them. "It's been four years and the family eats here once a week. We converted them," she says with a grin of satisfaction.

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