On Thursday, I decided to saunter towards Trident BKC for some work and thought of treating myself to a lavish meal after that. I had also decided to review it for this blog because experiences, both good and bad, should always be noted down for posterity.
My idea of unwinding at times is to treat myself with a fine-dining experience. So, off I went to Botticino, the popular Italian restaurant at Trident BKC.
Before I start on my experience at the restaurant, I would like to say that for me and for many people I know, fine dining is lot more than the food you await on your plate. It is how you are welcomed to your table, how you are spoken to and how you are treated while the dinner is being served, how impeccable is the service and ofcourse how genuine are the sweet smiles of people attending to you. I'm very good at understanding body language and taking subtle hints. I have eaten out at various restaurants, fine dining or not, and after my experience at Botticino, I firmly believe that genuine service should never be taken for granted by a customer.
Without getting into much details, it is suffice to say that my pre-meal experience was equally pleasant as the during- and post-meal experience. I am truly touched to see such genuine hospitality. As a vegetarian who loves food, I have been fairly disappointed at restaurants when I try to find a new gastronomical experience to transform me to a state of bliss. I keep seeing repeat experiments with cottage cheese, potato, mushroom, tofu, cheese etc. Not one dish manages to bring out the flavour of a vegetable or other ingredient on a standalone basis. Such disappointment in finding good food makes me visit restaurants that promise a "fine dining" experience.
In the hope of discovering something new, I sat at my table and without pondering much on the menu, decided to ask the very friendly server's (I think his name is A. Rampal, though I cannot be sure) opinion for one of the best vegetarian pastas available on the menu. He pointed out to a dish called Parmesan Ravioli which contained Black Truffles. The thought of experiencing the strong flavourful fungi for the second time in my life, made me instantly select the dish, more so to bring back the sweet memories of the time when I first ate it. Once I was set in the good mood, I decided to prolong the pleasure by accompanying myself with some wine. Again, I was looking for suggestions to select a white wine from the list to best accompany the meal I had just ordered. I went with Danzante Pinot Grigio.
After the ordering business was taken care of, I was offered a magazine (Conde Nast Traveller - April edition) to indulge myself into some good travel read. The book cover of the magazine was not very clean but I did not bother mentioning it then. After some time, the bread basket arrived at my table. I would like to point out that I did have to wait for the bread basket for longer than usually expected. But I must say, the variety offered in the basket is fairly good and I picked just one to indulge in some pre-meal snacking. It was different and fresher than the other places I have had from. Following this, in came a taste-tingling, bite-sized caramelized pineapple piece. It was subtly flavourful and nice to the palate. My mouth was triggered enough to wait for the meal now. As it arrived and as I took my first bite, I was, least to say, disappointed. I was expecting a strong Black Truffle flavour and ravioli that has been made out of thin strips of neatly knead dough but on both counts it failed. I still maintained a pleasant demeanor for the fact that I devoured the sauce and the cheese filling was just right inside the ravioli. I was also not very overwhelmed by the presentation of the dish. It was only when asked upon did I mention what was wrong with the dish according to me. Moving on to the wine, I think it was simply wonderful. Bored with the enough tried and tested Sula, I wanted something remarkably different and I was not disappointed at all. All this while, I must mention, the service was impeccable and the server did show genuine concern on my experience of the ravioli. I can only compare his eagerness to help with that of a lady-in-waiting, not intruding but warming. Now given my appetite, a seven piece pasta would not suffice for a whole meal and I ventured to order more without expecting much. I asked for something light this time and was suggested an appetiser, goat cheese and Rucola. Now this was a pleasant surprise! The flavours were mixed just right with the sweet honey not overbearing the flavour of the Fig and the Rucola and the Asparagus. Every bite was pure bliss and the sauces soaked well by the leaves and the small Fig giving a sudden burst of flavourful colour to your taste buds. The crunchy and smooth-cut-with-a-knife Asparagus stock took the cake for me. Also, the soft goat cheese was delicious and melt-in-your-mouth but I have rarely seen restaurants going wrong on goat cheese except for the run-of-the-mill cafes.
After such a hearty experience I was full, both mentally and physically. But little did I know that Chef Sushil Multani had planned a surprise dessert for me! I guess to uplift my mood from the slightly disappointing experience with the pasta, I was treated to some heavenly Tiramisu with Raspberry sorbet. The Tiramisu was creamy to the core and every spoonful compelled me to have more despite on a full stomach. The sorbet added the right amount of sour taste to hit the otherwise smooth and sweet taste of the velvety Tiramisu. I was offered a shot of Limoncello to clean my palate but I was already too indulged in devouring the dessert that I ignored it until it was not chilled enough to enjoy. Maybe next time!
Now how many of us get a chance to learn a thing or two about gourmet food from the big chef himself. Chef Multani mentioned that the Truffles served to me were Summer Truffles which are not as strong in flavour as the ones I expected and that I should definitely try the White Truffles when the batch arrives at Trident Hotel in Nariman Point. He also mentioned how expensive an undertaking it is to buy and store such Truffles in India. Well, I am waiting for Trident to contact me when they get their next batch of Truffles! I will definitely visit again, HUNGRY for more!
My idea of unwinding at times is to treat myself with a fine-dining experience. So, off I went to Botticino, the popular Italian restaurant at Trident BKC.
Before I start on my experience at the restaurant, I would like to say that for me and for many people I know, fine dining is lot more than the food you await on your plate. It is how you are welcomed to your table, how you are spoken to and how you are treated while the dinner is being served, how impeccable is the service and ofcourse how genuine are the sweet smiles of people attending to you. I'm very good at understanding body language and taking subtle hints. I have eaten out at various restaurants, fine dining or not, and after my experience at Botticino, I firmly believe that genuine service should never be taken for granted by a customer.
Without getting into much details, it is suffice to say that my pre-meal experience was equally pleasant as the during- and post-meal experience. I am truly touched to see such genuine hospitality. As a vegetarian who loves food, I have been fairly disappointed at restaurants when I try to find a new gastronomical experience to transform me to a state of bliss. I keep seeing repeat experiments with cottage cheese, potato, mushroom, tofu, cheese etc. Not one dish manages to bring out the flavour of a vegetable or other ingredient on a standalone basis. Such disappointment in finding good food makes me visit restaurants that promise a "fine dining" experience.
In the hope of discovering something new, I sat at my table and without pondering much on the menu, decided to ask the very friendly server's (I think his name is A. Rampal, though I cannot be sure) opinion for one of the best vegetarian pastas available on the menu. He pointed out to a dish called Parmesan Ravioli which contained Black Truffles. The thought of experiencing the strong flavourful fungi for the second time in my life, made me instantly select the dish, more so to bring back the sweet memories of the time when I first ate it. Once I was set in the good mood, I decided to prolong the pleasure by accompanying myself with some wine. Again, I was looking for suggestions to select a white wine from the list to best accompany the meal I had just ordered. I went with Danzante Pinot Grigio.
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| Parmesan Ravioli |
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| Goat cheese with Rucola |
After such a hearty experience I was full, both mentally and physically. But little did I know that Chef Sushil Multani had planned a surprise dessert for me! I guess to uplift my mood from the slightly disappointing experience with the pasta, I was treated to some heavenly Tiramisu with Raspberry sorbet. The Tiramisu was creamy to the core and every spoonful compelled me to have more despite on a full stomach. The sorbet added the right amount of sour taste to hit the otherwise smooth and sweet taste of the velvety Tiramisu. I was offered a shot of Limoncello to clean my palate but I was already too indulged in devouring the dessert that I ignored it until it was not chilled enough to enjoy. Maybe next time!
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| Tiramisu with Berry Sorbet |
