A gourmet paradise… 

Lyf&Spice at the Chef’s Table – “Bella Cucina” at Le Meridien, Gurgaon

1. Cappuccino of Mushroom:

The trend of mushroom coffees is catching up, as is the debate with its highly beneficial effects on health. Keeping up with the trend is this frothy mushroom cappuccino served with brioche, Bella Cucina’s savoury take on cookies. The mushroom trio, comprising of the Portobello, Porcini and Button mushrooms adds the right kick to the espresso.

Taste: Frothy, creamy, flavoured with truffle

Watch the entire video here 

2. Bella Cucina Garlic Bread:

I wouldn’t have mentioned garlic bread, unless it was different from the usual. The restaurant defines garlic bread as a pizza dough base, baked with cheese. To top it up are yellow chillies, kale, garlic and lots of herbs.

Taste: Scented, moderately crispy

3. Bella Cucina Caprese:

The best part of the chef’s table is to watch the recipe take shape in front of you. This classic Italian salad was made on the table. In-house creamy mozzarella was placed on the platter, to which caprese jelly was added. The jelly represents a different texture of tomato, containing every element of caprese – tomato, cheese and basil. Third in place were semi dried tomatoes, followed by fresh cherry tomatoes. The salad was dressed with balsamic and extra virgin olive oil, and topped with salt, fresh basil leaves and balsamic caviar. The salad was finished with a rather frothy and light tomato foam.

Taste: Poke the mozzarella to experience the creamy texture and sip on the light foam for a balanced tangy taste.

Caprese: different stages of preparation

4. Prawn Ravioli:

Let’s put it this way – minced prawn folded in a thin layer of refined wheat flour, served with young tomato and bisque foam on the top. Stuffed with the true taste of minced prawns, the ravioli has its creamy consistency maintained even without cheese. The fresh raw tomatoes that are used instead of a tomato sauce, balance the tangy taste well.

Taste: Fishy, of course – with the bisque setting the sea food aroma right through to the mince.

5. Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Risotto:

This platter scores high in the presentation matrix. The plate used looks like mountains and valleys, and lying deep down in the valley of Italian mist, is the rich and cheesy pumpkin and goat cheese risotto. The pine nuts and burnt butter impart extra flavour to the thick consistency and perfect texture of the risotto.

Taste: Needless to say – cheesy and dense.

6. Australian Lamb Rack:

This sous vide lamb chop with eggplant potato tart stole the show. As if the flavour wasn’t rich enough, it was topped with creamy spinach, red wine juice and micro greens… and as chef Amit says – let the meat talk for itself!

Taste: Gamy, intense.

7. Desserts:

The entire range of desserts is exceptional. Not only do they taste like a piece of heaven, but they are presented in the most fashionable way possible.

• Classical Tiramisu:

This coffee flavoured Italian dessert owes its light and creamy texture to mascarpone. The sweet treat is garnished with coffee powder depicting silverware.

Taste: Light, delicate

 

• Dropped Lemon Tart:

A lemon tart in a creamy format, served with vanilla sauce and powder. The way it’s presented is indicative of no less than a lemony explosion on your plate.

Taste: Tangy, smooth

• Espresso Coffee Mousse:

The chocolate dome is served with raspberry coulis. Break the upper lid open to taste the gooey espresso chocolate inside. This sprinkled with raspberry streaks all around, makes for a presentable and tasty course after lunch.

This is how you have it -> watch a quick video here

The beautiful kitchen:

Bella Cucina: It means a Beautiful Kitchen and a stunning kitchen it is. Equipped with the specially crafted Molteni (you could call it the Rolls-Royce of kitchens), it is a single piece cooking range that can be used to cook anything possible…

Décor: The restaurant is really modern and edgy with colour contrast in play. It emits a different feel by day and night – natural light versus chandelier and incoming pool light. Whether you want to opt for private dining, family dinners or a cosy meal for two, you have different sections right here.

Cuisine: Italian, with special emphasis on Northern and Central Italian parts of the country.

Food: Sourcing the best ingredients possible and giving them the treatment they deserve is the motive behind the dishes prepared. Chef Amit does a remarkable job of preparing and presenting the dishes in the most attractive format possible. Let’s dive deep into the Italian intricacies of the delightful spread…

Connect with them:

instagram.com/lmbellacucina

facebook.com/LMbellacucina

twitter.com/@lmbellacucina

Lyf&Spice says:

I was honoured to be invited to the Chef’s Table at Bella Cucina. The food journey was explicit, thanks to Chef Amit for running me through the entire process in detail. I went into a food coma after tasting the gourmet Italian meal and am still recovering from the best Italian spread I have had! This is the first restaurant on my reviews so far, to hit the 100% mark. If you have the palette to cherish an authentic Italian meal, this is just the place for you…

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That’s all folks!!

Read… Drool… Eat!

 

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