It’s more than just cheese

BENGALURU: When you think of Italian food, the first thing that comes to mind is parmesan cheese. But at Bene, Sheraton Grand Hotel at Brigade Gateway in Malleswaram, we discovered it’s a lot more than just that. 

One of the the most experimented cuisines around the world is the Italian cuisine. Curated by Head Chef Roberto Apa, the new menu has strikingly authentic dishes of the foreign land which are a combination of both healthy and tasty elements. According to the chef, many ingredients are imported to give the actual feel of Italy to the diners, and thus the dishes here are cost-effective and prepared with utmost care, keeping the traditional background in mind.

On a sunny Thursday afternoon, we began with Bruschetta Pomodoro, which is cherry tomato cut in small pieces and sprinkled over grilled bread. Along with a little basil, garlic and rocket salad, the dish makes up for an extremely healthy vegetarian starter, which is easy to prepare at home too.

Next, came the interesting Bruschetta Al Salmone – garlic bread garnished with cream cheese, topped with a fine fillet of smoked salmon, salmon caviar and seasoned with avocado and onion spring – and it gave us the supreme feeling of fresh, imported salmon steamed properly. It tasted delicious if eaten together with the cheese bread.            

La Fruttarola is a mix of fruits, nuts and leaves, making it a healthy salad to dig into. With a massive spread of rocket salad, romaine lettuce, fruits, walnuts, nuts, peanuts, pistachio and a dash of vinegar, the salad really did leave an aroma of freshness to the table.

From the soup section, the waiter brought us Zuppa Di Pomodoro E Stracciata, which is tomato soup garnished with stracciata cheese, giving hints of pesto sauce and rosemary herb. The thick, soothing tomato soup was one of the best soups that we’ve tasted so far. The cheese gave it a sweet tinge while the sauce and the tomato’s tangy flavour was a smooth ride to our palate.   

The introduction of Paccheri Scorfano E Granchio made us realise that we have entered the main course. This has everything a fish-lover can ask for -- Pachheri pasta, prawns, salmon and Indian grouper fish, topped with parsley and cherry tomato. Cooked to perfection, we found it much like an Italian seafood platter. The large smooth tubes of pasta coupled with prawns and fishes were tantalizing to our taste buds.  
Almost full, we had the Tortelli Alla Matriciana, which is handmade tortelli, amatriciana sauce, tomato sauce, crispy pancetta served with butter. These are small, round-shaped pasta stuffed with bacon, which was something new from the world of Italian cuisine. Along with the sauces, the crispy meat and pasta teams up for an amazing combination. A must-try for people who love bacon.  

Salamone Circoccante is a scrumptious dish for a non-vegetarian who loves savouring exotic fish. It is irresistible when smoked Norwegian salmon served with asparagus velouté, thyme and vegetables melts in your mouth. We felt it was a great way to end our meal.

...almost, since the chef surprised us with an amazing coffee-flavoured dessert.With a combination of cream, coco powder, coffee, Italian biscuits and a dash of Baileys, along with its near-perfect presentation, we did not leave anything behind. Cost for two: `2,500 approx