tasting a handpicked menu by Chef Vincenzo at Travertino, the fine dining Italian restaurant at The Oberoi Delhi

It is always a pleasure to meet Chefs who have worked in professional kitchens for decades and have trained with great Chefs in their journey. There is always something to learn from them seeing their food and work philosophy. Last weekend I met a Chef who hails from Naples and has trained under celebrity Chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Maurizio Morelli in his career spanning 20 years.

Chef Vincenzo de Tuoro is the Chef de cuisine at Travertino, the fine dining Italian restaurant at the lobby level of The Oberoi, New Delhi. Travertino was launched in association with Hotel Hassler, Rome and the professional team at the restaurant is also recommended and placed by Hotel Hassler to maintain authenticity of the cuisine and the impeccable fine dining experience. How fascinating is that. You get to experience Italy in the heart of Delhi.

The restaurant gets its name from Travertine which is an Italian stone that resembles marble. Travertine is the theme of Travertino and you feel it in the accents all over. The detailing is very understated.

And the food speaks to you softly. It still makes me happy even to think about what we had at Travertino. Chef Vincenzo came and explained to us the way he likes to combine fresh ingredients and colours in his food. We were to witness some invigorating uses of herbs and sauces, salads is leafy form and even in blended form.

The sun dried tomato paste that came with the crusty bread was made with some roasted aubergines we were told and it was such a light and flavourful spread for the bread.

A very simple platter of crostini with just a fat slice of fresh burrata, half of a cherry tomato and a baby amaranth was served, it was simplicity doing justice to the fresh ingredients. Wonderful thought behind it I must say.

 Simpler things gave way to more complexity, more colour and more burst of flavours. The grilled Kerala jumbo prawn came with a floral wreath of salad and drippings of onion-mustard and avocado based creamy dressing. Beautiful presentation and fresh flavours where you choose your flavours for each bite. Smear it with dressing, pick up the choice of greens, microgreens or even flower petals for salad and make your bite perfect, that kind of a platter it was.

The Parmesan cheese tortelli came with a sprinkling of fresh celery and Parmesan consomme was poured over them. The best way to serve any stuffed pasta I feel, the celery was a fresh whiff with Parmesan.

Next was Orecchiette with kerala prawns, crab shavings, beets crisps and some fresh dill. A warm broccoli and cabbage soup was poured over it and it became a medley of fresh flavours of dill with seafood. Pasta a teeny bit too al dante for my taste but great flavours.

Pan seared Chilean Bass was served with a side of creamed broccoli and Pecorino quenelle. Some thin julienne of radish and carrot over the perfectly seared fish and a warm red cabbage soup poured over it. This was a treasure of flavours at multiple levels.

The best thing is, Chef served very small servings for us on our request. That was a blessing because we did not feel stuffed after eating such a lavish spread. Their normal servings are mush larger.

Travertino has a wonderful luncheon menu called Epronto which is a 2 or 3 course meal served quickly at a set price of 1700 or 2100 Rs plus taxes. The Ala carte menu is quite extensive for relaxed meals.

Desserts were served and we had to dig in. Tiramisu was indulgent and sinful, one of the best I have tasted. I loved the Hazelnut ice cream (home made) and the slow baked Belgian dark chocolate cake which was a dense and rich cake. The pink cannolo with raspberry and mascarpone was well done, but not my favourite.

This is the place where you eat with all your senses and feel indulged even when you don't stuff yourself with food. Thanking Chef Vincenzo for the fine sensibility and this pleasant treat to us.

Chef Vincenzo conducts masterclasses too and I am looking forward to attending a few of those classes myself. It was a wonderful experience to talk to him about his way of cooking, using some fresh local ingredients and the best of cheeses, some imported and some procured locally. Would love to learn more from him in future.

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review of new menu at La Piazza, Hyatt Regency New Delhi

Last weekend was quite busy with family get together and a bit heavy on food. I do tend to cook a few family favourites when we are together and this weekend was no exception. Monday and Tuesday saw me with light vegetable meals as there was a review visit to a posh Italian restaurant scheduled ahead.

So when we decided to go to La Piazza at Hyatt Regency Delhi for dinner on a weekday, we were looking for a light Italian meal. Of course we were looking forward to great flavours too as we both love Italian food and the way it plays with aromatic herbs and fresh ingredients.

Chef Luca Digiloramo has interpreted the simplicity and contemporary style of Rome and Milano in the new menu of La Piazza. Chef Marin Leuthard came to our table and explained the menu we were being served and I was still wondering what a mint ravioli will taste like when he talked about tuna smoked on a piece of charcoal. My interest was piqued rightly.

The wine list at La piaza is impressive but we decided for pineapple juice as we saw the preset menu for the day had a lot of seafood and meat. Pineapple juice is my drink when I am expecting a meat and seafood heavy meal. It does help digest heavy meals.

Antipasti was served quickly. First to come was Antipasto di affimicati.

It looked impressive with hot and cold smoked salmon and smoked mackerel served along with minced black olives, minced capers and minced red onions as relish. While both hot and cold smoked Salmon were great, the smoked mackerel felt a bit too leathery although the smoky taste was good. I like the almost creamy soft texture of hot smoked salmon and a bit firm texture of cold smoked salmon, the relishes worked really well with the fish.  

The lime and mint sorbet as a palate cleanser was simply delicious.

Next to come was Cento sfoglie alle pere e caprino. It was dehydrated pear slices over goat cheese mille feuille with honey mustard dressing and some greens on top. I loved the goat cheese blended with honey mustard, it was such a pleasant creamy thing to dip the pear slices and the paper thin pastry. Perfectly balanced flavours.

Among the main course I was curious about the mint ravioli, Ravioli con taleggio, menta e salsa al pepe mero. While I could not detect any mint in the ravioli or the sauce, the hint of pepper was pleasant to find in a ravioli made with Taleggio cheese sauce. I loved it regardless of mint no-show.

Risotto al curry verde e gamberi, a green curry risotto with prawn came with a plump Prawn peppered generously. Black pepper was used quite a lot in the menu and it was actually a revelation regarding how much pepper I can like in Italian food. I did like it.

I found the green curry treating the risotto really well, it was cooked well too, both the rice and prawns right as I like it. Not too al dante but not melting into a sticky mass either.

The show stopper was Tagliata di tonno ai carboni, the much awaited charcoal flavoured black pepper tuna. Black pepper appears again and I don't mind it.

Generously encrusted with black pepper, the tuna fillet was cooked right, juicy and flavourful. Black pepper heat very cleverly balanced with caramelized onion slices, this tuna portion was quite big considering too many courses but both of us just loved it.

There was no more appetite left after the Tuna, but the meat course was still to come. Polpette di anatra con pepperoni e fagolini was spicy duck meatballs with bell peppers and green beans. I thought I will just take a bite to see how it is but the meatballs were made so perfectly I ended up having two of them. What surprised me in this dish was the slow caramelized bell peppers that tasted almost sweetish with just the right amount of sauce clinging to it. A bit sweet and tart with a slight chilli heat, I finished all the bell peppers in the saucepan dish. Beans were untouched by flavours, not that I mind.

Dessert was Sicilian Ice cream Cassata and Classic Tiramisu. We shared the dessert plate and took a bite of each. Both were nice but nothing to write home about.

With every dish on the antipasti and mains so flavourful and delicious I wouldn't waste my time on mediocre desserts. A great meal doesn't end with a dessert for me. You know well.

The meal was not light as we were expecting but it was not too heavy, flavours were great as I mentioned. Forget the desserts.

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