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BangaloreMirror

I FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

17

Quite the Italian job

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A B f r I P 0 6 H 2 S B -

Cuisine Owner(s) Chef Alcohol Wine list Price range

Parking Wheelchair access Service

Italian La Tagliatella Anurag Brindal Yes Literally so, only wines Take a deep breath. For about `2700, you could share a drink, a non-veg starter, a non-veg entre and a dessert (inclusive of taxes and service charge) Yes No

Manu Prasad [email protected]

omething about the consonants in the name of the restaurant reminded me of The Godfather turned out to be the Tattaglia family, one of New Yorks Five Families in the novel. This Indiranagar establishment, however, has no such connection, and is actually named after a kind of pasta. The opulent faade and the brightly-lit interiors are set off by a prominently gold and yellow dcor, while chandeliers and framed pictures making it a tad gaudy, if slightly palatial. Our table sported a lot of chatter some of it was because the extensive menu made decisions hard, but most of it was courtesy the intense cold. When we asked for some warmth, we were given a central air conditioning story. Cold reality dictated that even though it seemed that the entire air conditioning was centred on our table, the rain outside meant that we couldnt use the alfresco option.

some antipasti. We skipped the first two and launched into a Focacce liguri and a Mozzarelletta. The flat bread and its toppings turned out to be quite picturesque, but even the collective presence of duck ham, parmigiano cheese and provolone cheese wasnt enough to lift the dish. In contrast, the simple combination of mozzarella melted with nuts and sweet tomato, though not very appealing to the eye, made a mark on other senses smell and taste. It was totally melt-inthe-mouth, with the nuts offering a texture variation. In Bangalore, they have chosen to serve only wine. They had run out of the white wines we preferred, so we settled for pints of red and white wine, and were left rather unimpressed with both.

Entre:

From top: Pizza la tTagliatella; Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese; Tiramisu

Starters: The options consist of a couple of soups, half a dozen salads, and

The sheer variety of pasta choices is attention-worthy from spaghetti and ravioli to Sorrentino and Taglierini, I could count about twenty. Together with the condiments, there are potentially hundreds of combinations! Add to that,

pizzas and calzones. We began with a Tagliatella pizza thin crusted and fairly large with pesto, mushrooms, taleggio cheese, turkey bacon and spinach. This is probably shuddh Italian judging by the relative blandness, and despite that consideration, it failed to impress. The Calzone Verde was a lot of hot air as they werent really generous with the mozzarella, mushrooms and pesto stuffing. We then tried the Gamberetti di Funghi which turned out to be an excellent dish with wellcooked pasta and prawns. On weekdays, they have a 1111 for 2 menu, which lets you choose three pastas from nine options. That turned out to be quite a blessing and we sampled the Spaghetti Bolognese, Sorrentino with Vera Casalinga sauce and the Tagliatelle with Tremenda sauce. The spaghetti nosed ahead, though if the Tagliatelle wasnt a tad overcooked, it might have won; the cream sauce was quite good. The Sorrentino was nice too, but the table was evenly divided on the parmigiano-reggiano and Iberian pork dish.

Helpful, friendly, prompt Sound level & Just vaguely Music discernible, conversations are easy Ambience Comfortable and classy Kid friendly Yes Hours 12- 11.30 PM Home delivery No Reservations Only to be safe

BM VERDICT

Dessert: Of the many dessert options,

we tried the Tiramisu. Phenomenally good, it won best dish of the day hands down. The Tutto Cioccolato seemed a little too similar to the standard lava cakes available everywhere. Coppa Fior di Latte al Cioccolat oFuso Mascarpone ice cream with hot chocolate cream was also just average.

In all: La Tagliatella is an international

chain and prides itself on the authenticity and freshness of the ingredients used. That probably explains the steep pricing, but unless the gap between value and cost is bridged, the bill will make it very easy for a customer to suspect a Godfather-like extortion. We kid you not.

Bangalore Mirror reviews anonymously and pays for meals

BM SAVEUR: SHIVAJI MILITARY MESS

This 90-year-old biryani jaunt serves authentic Maratha style dum and donne biryani to thronging crowds

f youre new to the city and want to sample the best biryani, chances are an old timer will direct you to Shivaji Military Mess. Located a lane away from the bustling Banashankari bus stand, this eatery believes in authenticity the biryani is cooked over coals, blended with masalas that are prepared in the exact manner Marathas did, and served in banana leaves. The gustatory experience will leave you yearning for more, as the smell of freshly cooked mutton and chicken with rice wafts through your nostrils and lingers on your tastebuds for a long while. Rajeev Bhonsle and his brother, along with a set of immediate family members, run a tight ship here. This is a family business and we have never encouraged anyone else to run the place. My grandfather started this hotel, and it

KAUSHIK J N

was taken forward by my father. Now, we have some cousins onboard too. Even as his toddler son runs around the kitchen excitedly, his only hope is the legacy will be carried on by the next generation. The spices, poultry, vegetables and even the coal is procured from their own farms or that owned by close friends and family. Depending on our requirements, we procure the material from our close associates. We also take catering orders for weddings and special functions, reveals Bhonsle. With over 20 tables that can seat four at a time, the place is milling with people from 8 am to 3 pm. Bhonsle gets around 200-odd customers every day, with at least 100 more on the weekends. I dont keep track of the customers but our footfalls are steady. I have had people from

the USA come straight from the airport to sample the mutton biryani, which is a favourite. The businessman says he is feeling the pinch due to the onion price rise, but, We have to keep the business running, no matter what. I cannot compromise on the quality. The mutton biryani is priced at Rs 140 and chicken biryani for Rs 130. Dealing with the rush is the result of a tight workflow, which the workers take about 3 years to learn. Does he feel the need to open more branches? Absolutely not. We dont want to dilute our specialty. Its a matter of pride to have so many people queue up outside our eatery. We were in Nagarathpet earlier but moved to Jayanagar 9th block as this is a bigger place. Sindhuja Balaji