Lombardy, Italy in a Plate @ Italia, The Park

Italia at The Park, Bangalore has been hosting niche and exquisite food festivals with varying themes and flavours from Italy for a while now. The latest in their kitty is the Lombardy Food festival which is the best of Italian cuisine in one single menu. The ingredients used in this menu are mostly dairy infused with a lot of meat, just the way Italians like it. I was lucky to be part of the exclusive tasting in the company of a few discerning food enthusiasts.

This was my first sit-down dinner experience at Italia, and I must say I am quite a fan of just the ambience and its minimalistic décor. The hues of light spring green infused with earthy wood colours add to the elegance of the interiors to this exclusive Italian restaurant.

We started our culinary viagio with a pour of Chianti from the house of Zonin which paired well with the meat. The Bruschetta was up first and the earthy flavours of the Bocconcini set the mood for the rest of the evening.

The Insalata di Pollo alla Griglia was the appetiser and the semi-dried Tomato and the grilled Chicken Breast paired perfectly well with the fresh apple. The Zuppa alla Pavese is quite a unique in its texture and flavour. A rich Chicken broth with a slice of bread and a fried egg was one of the first of its kind ever tasted by me in Italian cuisine. I must say, it was one of the best broths ever.

I am a big fan of Risotto, but am also aware that not everybody can cook it right. But hats off to Chef Basheer for the perfect Risotto under the sun with Porcini mushroom and its earthy flavours immediately struck a chord with me. What followed was the Fettuccine al Ragu e Porcini and it was an immediate favourite across the table.

The Prima comprised of an Oven Roasted Salmon fillet with Fennel and Zucchini. Being a fan of Smoked Salmon, this was quite a bit of a deviation from the usual but was quite flavourful in its rendition. But it was undoubtedly the Pollo ai Porcini, rolled Chicken Breast with Provolone cheese that stole the show and left us craving for more.

The desserts were not only spectacular, but equally tasted their parts. The Tiramisu was unique in its presentation and was by far the best one had so far. The Fragolini al Balsamico, Strawberry and Mascarpone cheese Crostinis with Cinnamon and Balsamic Vinegar were the ultimate sweet ending to this divine meal. This exclusive menu is on till the 27th of January 2017 for dinner only at the Italia.