Traditional Italian food at Ottimo

Finding an Italian restaurant where the traditional elements of the cuisine are not compromised in order to please the Indian palate in Bengaluru can be difficult.

If you are among those with a penchant for authentic flavours, head to ‘Ottimo’, the pan-Italian restaurant at ITC Gardenia.

‘Ottimo’, which translates to ‘excellent’, recently launched their new menu; a blend of modern and contemporary dishes.

We started with ‘Dragonfruit, Tomatoes and Asparagus’, the mix of flavours was good but it was nothing spectacular. However, the non-vegetarian version of the dish, that is, ‘Dragonfruit, Tomatoes and Prawn’, was something I would like to take another bite of. The ingredients were surprising but their distinctive tastes were retained in the dish and that made for a great combination. The ‘Beetroot, Avocado and Yolk’ again seemed like an unusual combination, but the smashed avocado mixed with finely chopped beetroot topped with egg yolk, which gave it the perfect thickness and consistency, worked wonders. The balsamic caviar pearls drizzled on the top added the much-needed flavour. With so many ingredients, the dish was still very balanced and non of the components overpowered the other.

One of my favourites from the evening was the ‘Jerusalem Artichoke Tortellini’; it was tossed with celeriac and served with leek ash. The soft tortellini filled with artichoke was dipped in a cheesy sauce; pure bliss for me.

The ‘Cauliflower and 64 per cent Dark Chocolate Risotto’, however, was heavy and oily with an overpowering taste of cheese. The dark chocolate was sparsely sprinkled, thus, its taste didn’t come through at all. The dish tends to become a bit tedious after a while.

‘Multigrain Crusted Chicken’ is another dish that non-vegetarians can try. It is served with lavender-scented carrot puree. The meat was folded like a roll and had a little crunch in every bite. The earthy taste to it was the highlight.

For cheese-lovers, ‘Fontal Stuffed Morel’ will seem like a blessing. The morel, generously stuffed with cheese, was the clear winner of the evening. It was soft but had a coarse texture which added to the exotic flavour.

Before we started our meal, we were told to keep space for dessert. We understood why only after the pastry chef got us ‘Autumn Tiramisu Cloud’. The classic tiramisu, with a twist of candy floss, was served with cocoa speculoos with cinnamon sacher, salt caramel and milk chocolate cake and plated with scoops of mascarpone and sprinkled with cocoa powder. A combination of sweet and salty flavours made the dessert just perfect for the sweet tooth.

‘Ottimo’ is located at ITC Gardenia, # 1, Residency Road. For details, call 4345 5000.