Italian nights...
This post is about a weekend which was totally dedicated to gourmet dinners. Aishwarya 'n I managed to rope in Praveen and Keerti for what turned out to be 2 amazing back-to-back nights of continental indulgence. Here's a small and not-so-modest account of it:
Friday night saw the gang making it's way towards Richmond Circle-St.Mark's Road crossing, where Casa Piccola is located. The place isn't all that big but it's been around for 25 years. Located just off the street but at basement level, it's been given a nice look n' feel. Especially when people walk past you it feels like one of those little deli's on a cobble-stoned European street. The bright canopies and patio-like chairs complete the look. But food is certainly the reason for the popularity it enjoys among the Bangalore crowd. And boy, was I eager for a taste, what with Aishwarya raving about it so much the week before. Praveen ordered the Chicken Casserole, Keerti the Fillet O' Fish and I went for Chicken Barbados. Aishwarya being the veggie she is, stuck to the Veg Casserole. I had my first taste of fish that day and I swear it was out of this world. The excellent Barbados Chicken came with garlic bread and some dark zesty sauce, the name of which I fail to recall. Chicken and veggie cassarole were a bit mild but tasty nonetheless. Then came the piece de resistence, the desserts. Chocolate Gateaux, Crepes with Vanilla and Black Forest and Chocolate Mousse soon replaced the empty quarter plates before us. I'd strongly suggest the Crepes with Black Forest, although it's a bit messy. The Crepes just seem to melt in your mouth. Better still is the fact that one can have a very nice meal without burning a hole in one's pockets.
Best part of the dinner though, was the general disconnected chatter that went on. Another plus about the place (for horny guys like myself) is the girls that will go by the place now and then. The word "advantage" (or rather disadvantage) should evoke a few laughs from those present that day.
The very next night was devoted to Spiga. As usual I turned up late from work and Aishwarya was going crazy thinking about how Keerti would react at such procrastination. Thankfully he'd been kept busy with some books at Blossom's in the company of Praveen and Sonal, who was a surprise addition to the list that day. Anyways we quickly moved on to Vittal Mallya street where this cozy little nook is located. As soon as we entered I was reminded of my brother-in-law whose dream had been to start one such eat-out joint back home in Pune. Someday I will convince him to partner me in that venture. Someday soon. The music though, was very much bekaar. Keerti and I walked up to the guy at the bar and asked him to play something different. He replied with a "I-dunno-what-you-are-talking-about" look saying that they played only soft music. I suggested some soft rock numbers but he declined saying that they had only one CD that day. We returned to our seats mumbling curses under our breaths and promising to take the Power Ballads CD the next time we went there. The food was exactly an antithesis of this. The ordering took some time as most of us were not so used to continental food. The dishes aren't very numerous but the chef makes them scruplously. He made a vegetable like Eggplant taste like Ambrossia in what is called the Eggplant Tower. Sonal's Chicken Di Casa and my Peppered Steak were really a treat. The garlic bread that was served with the food was awesome too. Fresh and right out of the oven. Just the way I like it. As we ate, a group of people (actually 5 guys and a dame) walked in and seated themselves across the room. The girl was either drunk or had a very low threshold of humour. Every now and then she'd burst into what felt like a squeal and then laugh as if she'd seen Chris Rock in the buff (I know....the notion is sick and so was her laughter). So after a few instances we decided that we'll employ the P.L.Deshpande technique. For the uninitiated it's on similar lines with 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em'. So everytime she squealed me n' the gang would laugh equally loud. Somehow it worked and they seemed to sober down. It was so much fun that the main course seemed as if it had just vanished from our plates. There wasn't anything interesting for desserts save for the cheese cake. No one but me felt like one. So I ordered one and as soon as it arrived it was all gone. It tasted heavenly. The mild flavour of mango coupled with the smooth richness of cheese and a layer of biscuit-y crumbs at the base. Something one shouldn't leave this restaurant without. I used to boast about Pune's hangouts but after I visited this place I must say, I'm impressed.
It was a great weekend in retrospect. One that maybe replaced but not to be forgotten. To sum up I could just say what Boston sang over 2 decades back "It's more than a feeling"!!
Friday night saw the gang making it's way towards Richmond Circle-St.Mark's Road crossing, where Casa Piccola is located. The place isn't all that big but it's been around for 25 years. Located just off the street but at basement level, it's been given a nice look n' feel. Especially when people walk past you it feels like one of those little deli's on a cobble-stoned European street. The bright canopies and patio-like chairs complete the look. But food is certainly the reason for the popularity it enjoys among the Bangalore crowd. And boy, was I eager for a taste, what with Aishwarya raving about it so much the week before. Praveen ordered the Chicken Casserole, Keerti the Fillet O' Fish and I went for Chicken Barbados. Aishwarya being the veggie she is, stuck to the Veg Casserole. I had my first taste of fish that day and I swear it was out of this world. The excellent Barbados Chicken came with garlic bread and some dark zesty sauce, the name of which I fail to recall. Chicken and veggie cassarole were a bit mild but tasty nonetheless. Then came the piece de resistence, the desserts. Chocolate Gateaux, Crepes with Vanilla and Black Forest and Chocolate Mousse soon replaced the empty quarter plates before us. I'd strongly suggest the Crepes with Black Forest, although it's a bit messy. The Crepes just seem to melt in your mouth. Better still is the fact that one can have a very nice meal without burning a hole in one's pockets.
Best part of the dinner though, was the general disconnected chatter that went on. Another plus about the place (for horny guys like myself) is the girls that will go by the place now and then. The word "advantage" (or rather disadvantage) should evoke a few laughs from those present that day.
The very next night was devoted to Spiga. As usual I turned up late from work and Aishwarya was going crazy thinking about how Keerti would react at such procrastination. Thankfully he'd been kept busy with some books at Blossom's in the company of Praveen and Sonal, who was a surprise addition to the list that day. Anyways we quickly moved on to Vittal Mallya street where this cozy little nook is located. As soon as we entered I was reminded of my brother-in-law whose dream had been to start one such eat-out joint back home in Pune. Someday I will convince him to partner me in that venture. Someday soon. The music though, was very much bekaar. Keerti and I walked up to the guy at the bar and asked him to play something different. He replied with a "I-dunno-what-you-are-talking-about" look saying that they played only soft music. I suggested some soft rock numbers but he declined saying that they had only one CD that day. We returned to our seats mumbling curses under our breaths and promising to take the Power Ballads CD the next time we went there. The food was exactly an antithesis of this. The ordering took some time as most of us were not so used to continental food. The dishes aren't very numerous but the chef makes them scruplously. He made a vegetable like Eggplant taste like Ambrossia in what is called the Eggplant Tower. Sonal's Chicken Di Casa and my Peppered Steak were really a treat. The garlic bread that was served with the food was awesome too. Fresh and right out of the oven. Just the way I like it. As we ate, a group of people (actually 5 guys and a dame) walked in and seated themselves across the room. The girl was either drunk or had a very low threshold of humour. Every now and then she'd burst into what felt like a squeal and then laugh as if she'd seen Chris Rock in the buff (I know....the notion is sick and so was her laughter). So after a few instances we decided that we'll employ the P.L.Deshpande technique. For the uninitiated it's on similar lines with 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em'. So everytime she squealed me n' the gang would laugh equally loud. Somehow it worked and they seemed to sober down. It was so much fun that the main course seemed as if it had just vanished from our plates. There wasn't anything interesting for desserts save for the cheese cake. No one but me felt like one. So I ordered one and as soon as it arrived it was all gone. It tasted heavenly. The mild flavour of mango coupled with the smooth richness of cheese and a layer of biscuit-y crumbs at the base. Something one shouldn't leave this restaurant without. I used to boast about Pune's hangouts but after I visited this place I must say, I'm impressed.
It was a great weekend in retrospect. One that maybe replaced but not to be forgotten. To sum up I could just say what Boston sang over 2 decades back "It's more than a feeling"!!
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