Italian dishes with seasonal ingredient

Alba in JW Marriott Hotel gives a twist to the traditional Italian dishes

Given the pleasant weather that Bengaluru is experiencing now, binging on season-specific food is a perfect thing to do.

With this idea in mind, Chef Eliyaz, chef de cuisine, JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru has curated a new menu for the Italian restaurant at the hotel, Alba. Fresh mango, pumpkin, beetroot, rocket leaves and asparagus procured by local vendors are the highlighted ingredients.

Make sure you visit this place with an empty stomach, there will be a lot coming your way.

For antipasti, we tried the ‘Grilled Prawn and Mango’, a dish made of ripe mango pieces, rocket leaf and parmesan cheese. To give it crunchiness, it is garnished with a squid ink tuile and lime foam. The dish had a classic look but tasted exotic, thanks to the sweet and sour combination of the mango and lime foam. The rocket leaf was crunchy and fresh. We loved the tuile too.

Next came the ‘Spinach Casoncelli with Caramelised Onions’; the stuffed casoncellis were soft and juicy. The best part was it wasn’t sticky and was just the right bite-size. The caramelised Brussels sprouts and the rocket leaf were interesting additions. We also loved the creamy potato-saffron soup. It was smooth and flavourful.

Do try the ‘Lamb Loin’ prepared with hazelnut, artichoke, and ‘duo of pumpkin’. The lamb was well-cooked and every bite was soft and tender. However, we recommend, the server to ask the customer, how they want their meat to be (it was little too pink — something that most Indians are not used to).

If you are a chicken lover, go for the ‘Pounded Chicken Milanese’. Plated perfectly with pesto tagliatelle, a big piece of fried breaded chicken breast and garnished with pizzaiola sauce and a piece of lemon. Squeeze the lemon on the chicken for a flavourful experience.

Prepared with celeriac, green pea mash and shallot sauce, ‘Thyme Roasted Seabass’ is another non-vegetarian option you can try.

Moving on to the desserts, ‘Asparagus Panna Cotta’ comes as a surprise to your palate. While the mint espuma gave a fresh punch to the dessert, hazelnut and white chocolate soil took care of the sweetness.

A personal favourite was the ‘Beets and Goat Cheese’ sorbet. The tanginess of the cheese and earthy flavour of the beetroot was an unexpected but pleasant end to the meal.

The service can be worked on a little. We don’t want to take long breaks between good food.

‘Alba’ is located at 24/1, Vittal Mallya Road, Ashok Nagar. For details, call 671 88533