Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Tigers Experience at Tonino - 10 Years Celebration - MG Road, New Delhi



The Iconic Beauty of MG Road - Hidden Property with a gorgeous Mango grove on the side . Tonino.




Imagine this setting in the evening - Dim Lights , cool Breeze , sitting in a almost natural surrounding , with the moon following you around , a perfect glass of wine and your date across the table ... staring uselessly , silence talking , a lovely wood fired pizza on the table ... a typical scene out of Mills & boon - what could be more romantic in life . Thats Tonino for you - Perfect ambiance , the best wines and one of the most talented Chefs Delhi has ever seen . Chef Suman . The master curator of each dish plated in Tonino. The Decor of Tonino is so Tuscany based .. tiled, brick finish - out door and indoor seating for 120 covers . 

 A truth - wife and me have been here twice and that too to make up for a fight - ate in silence , filled tummy and then spoke to resolve .The crowd at Tonino is very distinguished , Expats , Lovers, Solace lovers, Wine lovers , Cigar enthusiast, Book lovers ... kind of exclusive Style




Was invited by Simran and Parmeet Sawhney for the 10 Year Celebration . Tonino is at a place which was known as Pyramid - a kind of a banquet place started by parmeet (The Owners of Plaza Cinema) and Sanjay Khullar of ITC Maurya fame . Sharing the table with Simran was delightful - She explained how they have given the chef a free hand to experiment to travel , to try newer areas of italy to discover what can go well with the Indian palate - and this includes the wines too . This is one of the prime reasons they have been able to hold on to the Super Talented Chef Suman and the team led by Mr Joshi .

The class of the Sawhney family shows very evidently in Tonino.... Khandaani Log hain Bhai . they have truly done it in style .. after the success of Tonino they plan to showcase the city with Tonino Cafes - should be interesting . The couple behind Tonino has extensively travelled Italy for sure - they discover new places , check out new dishes , send chef to educate and try the dishes out in Tonino New Delhi.

Chef Suman and his team guided me through each dish like the Italians would do - with so much passion romance and involvement with the ingredients , meats the cuts and the flavors. chef believes in ingredients , flavors , textures and Plating .

V ASpragi Bellavista 650
Fresh Asparagus dipped in Parmesan cheese , & roasted bell peppers with garlic crumbs - bland to chilly to acidic the dish takes you through the entire gamut of flavors on your palate. Event though im not very fond of a couple of veggies like Asparagus, Avocado , Artichokes as i have never been to grasp the flavor they carry - this version of asparagus coated with cheese was absolutely amazing , loved it .




My All time Favorite Sangria - A Spanish Spritzer - The special word for Bleeding , cool and packed with fruits , red wine brandy & triple sec, normally i refuse to drink during the day for a number of reasons but here took the plunge as it looked tempting and secondly eat the way the Italians do . then toh i shud have had the wines offered .... nah nah I love Sangria , She is my No1.


The Bruchettas
Goat Cheese Caramelized Onions---  Tomato Garlic Basil mozzarella --- black olive tapenade grilled marinated artichokes and grapes - My favorite or rather my vote goes to teh caramelized Onions and goat cheese , just amazing yet another a first for me . 


V Insalata Rucola Con Pere, Pomodoro Picoli e Caprino
Rocket Leaves with pears, cherry tomatoes,pinenuts with honey balsamic dressing - Lovely textured combination of watermelon , pears , crunch of the pine nuts and the rocket leaves - perfect acidity from the lime dressing . The rocket leave were a bit limp and drk in color but the basic elements were perfectly intact . I love salads and this was good for me .


V Toretelloni Di Spinaci Ricotta
Spinach Ricotta n basil tortellini with truffle oil n Parmesan - the flavor of truffle oil rules , smooth , beautiful texture is all i can say about this very simple yet artistic dish . The dish looks the easiest but is one of the most difficult dishes to make ... a dish where the sauce makes so much of a difference , the sauce pairs beautifully with the  ricotta . 


Salumi Piccante Pizza
Tomato, Mozzarella , Salami, piccante and Olives - Simple Tuscan style wood fired pizza with the very famous Piccante sauce - a liquefied salsa sauce - both made from tomatoes, onions, peppers and spices- Salsa is chopped and Picante is pureed thats it -  Basic simple pizza nothing can go wrong other than the tomatoes being a bit too sour .  And the joke behind salsa and picante s that Salsa is Sauce and Picante is Hot lol  sure was .



Costolette Di Pollo Con Salsa Piccamte
Chicken Chops with BBQ sauce served with grilled potatoes m vegetables - looks ordinary na .. No way it is an award winning BBQ sauce . Chef Suman's entry for the Jack Daniels BBQ competition and He WON IT . The special thing about the sauce is that it has 18 ingredients and Jack Daniels as a major component . You can imagine the tinge in it and the high the chicken must have got after the sauce is poured on to the simple grilled chicken - served with awesome grilled veggies .



V Tour of italy
Combination of Farrotto, vegetable lasagne, grilled zuchini and peppers - Farratto is simply a dish that use Farro in place of  Rice  and cooks just like a risotto . Farro belongs tot he wheat family it is  nuttier and more chewy though .. it has greater nutritional value - high fiber , a blast of vitamins ... takes abit long too cook is super product for veggies and health conscious freaks like Tiger ... this was the Winner Dish for Chef Suman . The Farrortta os accompanied with a veg Lasagne and grilled veggies.

Over all a great dish and im glad i ordered the same on Chefs recommendation . Apparently this is Toninos winning dish specially for veggies - people come specially for the same . Farro is not seen in most Italian places - Tonino is one of the first to have sourced this healthy grain . 


Filetto Di Sogliola Griglia
River Sole fillet (Marinated in Mild fennel) wrapped in Parma ham  served with grilled potato m vegetable - A dish never tried before fish and ham hmmmmmmmmm very interesting for sure . Perfectly balanced dish , great textures ..loved the grilled zucchini , grilled potatoes ... the sauce sprinkled on top of the ham was divine ...  I was truly amazed at the amalgamation of flavors on the plate .



Tirami- Su
A classic Dessert - espresso flavored mascarpone cheese cake - what a pretty presentation and equally delicious tiramisu - this IS my favorite desert .... you really need to get it right for the real flavors to come out - not excessive alcohol for sure .Popularly known as Pick Me Up  - A desert from the district of Veneto. The recipe has been modified in a number of ways but stil is my favorite as always - Rum , Liqueurs and cheese just yum .   check out the gorgeous plating - just amazing and so photogenic , commendable chef , take a bow - the best i have seen so far


Lasangna Di Cioccolato - chocolate Lasagna
Layers of Special chocolate cake with white n dark chocolate served warm - This is a Tonino invention - they had a lasgane festival where the great chef experimented with the dish and tried out - was an instant hit with the customers .



About Corporate Chef Suman Sharma - He has recently won the National Tourism award for the year 2012 - 2013 for the Best Chef . - a IHM delhi Grad has been with Tonino for the last decade . He has learnt to cook perfect italian food under the supervision of Restaurateur cum   Chef  Tonino  Generale from Italy  a true chef at heart who is known for his pizza .. Chef Suman has been very closely connected with the ICF also . 

Chefs Favorite Quote is "CHI MANGIA BENE, VIVE BENE!  WHO EATS WELL, LIVES WELL! "  well said Chef

Overall Tigers Experience :
Food : Well Plated really a winners style , maintaining the originals of Tuscany , "Cibo Incredibile"Service : Total fine dinning service , there before you look up - well aware of the wines , the pairing .Ambiance : If u r in love or you want to fall in love Tonino is the place for you tobe in ... No parking hassles , no noise , just u and your love .... perfect for stylish dinners, parties .

Ambiance: Need i say more , Its mind Blowing . 

Service : Staff well aware of the dishes , motivated , knowledge of perfect Wine pairing thanks to Parmeet Sawhney. friendly and full on alert. 

VFm : Dont Care . 




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