It doesn’t
happen often that, a chef comes down all the way from Sheraton, Rome to
showcase the authentic regional preparations of Italy in our very own city -
Bangalore. And when it does, it’s best not missed. Chef Fabio Colace and
Sheraton Bangalore are hosting an Italian food festival at ‘Bene’ – a signature
Italian restaurant at Sheraton Hotels, Bangalore. This event is on for just 10
days starting 21st to the 30th of June. In addition to
food, Sheraton plans to engage diners with contests at individual tables where
diners get to win some goodies.
A media
preview dinner was organized and I was invited to the CAL Blogger’s Table to
get a firsthand experience of Chef Fabio’s creations. Inspired by the history
of Italian cuisine and the contest planned by Sheraton, I will not only share
my experience of dining at Bene but will also share some Italian trivia along
the way.
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| Chef Fabio Colace |
Menu:
A new and
innovative a-la carte menu has been crafted especially for this festival and I
must say goes well beyond pastas and Italian style thin crust pizzas. At our
table, we indulged in a traditional 4 course meal which comprised of signature
creations from the antipasto, primo, secendo and dolce sections of the newly
orchestrated menu. As it is believed, meals in Italy are usually an elaborate
affair and a means to spend time with family, friends or guests. So was the
case on our table with food, wine and conversations.
Trivia: Italian cuisine with origins going as
far back as the 4th century gets its inspiration from the diverse
regional cuisines which in turn get their structure from the available
ingredients and influences from their neighboring geographies.
What we ate:
Once
seated at the table, in no time; we were sipping wine and relishing bread with
3 different types of dips – a tomato based dip, an herbed butter dip and the
third was a cream based dip. But wait, we have not begun our meal yet; at least
officially!
In quick
succession, arrived ‘Il Fungo Porcino’
- an antipasto. Antipasto can be compared to an appetizer and once served
signifies an official start of a traditional Italian meal. This was a single
chunk of potato stuffed with minced mushrooms in the center, topped with a porcino
mushroom and accompanied by delicately flavored parsley sauce. If you love mushrooms;
this dish has gotta be on your table. I am not a mushroom fan yet found this
dish quite interesting for it broke the monotony of the usual bruschetta.
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| Another View of Potato stuffed with mushrooms |
Primo -
‘La Lasagne Bene’ it was. Primo is the first course in an Italian meal. There
is emphasis on hot preparation and usually but not necessarily comprises of
vegetarian food. ‘La Lasagne Bene’
was exactly that; alternating layers of lasagna sheet, and a veggie preparation
of basil, chunks of eggplant, roasted cherries and slivers of onion all tossed
in olive oil; not to mention topped with hot parmesan cream cheese. Once on our
table, the staff was quick to bring on a slab of parmesan cheese which was
grated finely onto our plate to our liking. The minimal use of seasoning which
helped retain the original flavor of every ingredient was what worked best in
this dish. Loved it!
For me,
primo set the expectation really high for the next course and being a meat
lover, I looked forward to ‘Secendo’ – the second course. Yes, this course is
considered the main course and is usually a non-vegetarian preparation though
the menu does cater well for the vegetarians too. For us non-vegetarians, it
was ‘L’Agnello’; lamb loin cooked
with aromatic herbs and was served with reduced balsamic vinegar sauce and
roasted potatoes. This dish was fantastic and was relished with a glass of red
wine. What worked for me in this dish was the flavor of the meat, rosemary herb
and the balsamic sauce which were clearly felt on the palate. Roasted garlic
plated on the side was a big hit with some of the diners on our table; not for
me though. One thing, I believe could have made this preparation score more
points versus the lasagna is the tenderness of the lamb meat. Nevertheless, its
one dish I’d still wish to have again.
Trivia: ‘L’Agnello’ is a recipe from Chef
Fabio’s very own region Lazio which houses the city Rome.
The
vegetarians were served ‘Il Pemodoro’ which was a whole tomato stuffed with
vegetable caponata and placed in a crispy basket made of filo pastry. Caponata
was a sweet and sour filling made with some veggies and eggplant. This was
liked by the vegetarians on our table. I dug into it too and liked the medley
of flavors and the crunchiness of the filo pastry.
Trivia: Copanata is a Sicilian preparation.
Sicilian food, though predominantly Italian is known to draw influence from
Greek cuisine. This can be seen in Chef Fabio’s preparation of ‘Il Pemodoro’
which uses kataifi or filo pastry (Greek origin) around the tomato.
Our final
course was dessert or ‘dolce’ is referred to in Italy. What grabbed our
attention instantly was the plating of the dessert called ‘La Crema’ on a red plate. The frozen cream with apple sandwiched
between puff pastry along with a prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine) based
sauce not only looked fabulous but was down-right delicious to its last bite.
Verdict:
The
service was fantastic; we were well attended to. The staff ensured none of us
were kept waiting for either the food to arrive or our wine glasses to be
refilled. Customary to Italy, post our desserts we were offered to be served a
cup of coffee which I believe was a good touch. The menu was beautifully
designed by chef Fabio to offer a good selection of the regional dishes of
Italy. The food was fabulous and definitely provided for a unique dining
experience.
A meal at ‘Bene’
for 2 which comprises of any of the above 3 courses each would cost you an
average of Rs. 2000 plus taxes and charges (alcohol extra).
Sheraton
is located in the Brigade Gateway campus adjacent to Orion Mall. Valet parking
is available at Sheraton.
Quick Tips:
Go for a
good Italian experience and fine dining. When there also take a few minutes out
to take a look at the products on sale like cheese, sauces, and cold cuts which
are available for purchase.
Address: 4th Floor, Sheraton @ Brigade Gateway, 26/1, Dr. Rajkumar Road, Malleshwaram - Rajajinagar, Bangalore - 560055
Landmark: Adjacent to Orion Mall in the same campus
Landmark: Adjacent to Orion Mall in the same campus
Phone Number: +91 80 4252 1000
