Tigers Experience At Artusi Ristorante and Bar - GK 2 , New Delhi

Paradiso sulla Terra

The Lady , The Man , The Chef and the Gospel of Artusi - The Art of Eating Well .

Yes Gurpinder and Oscar Balcon bring to delhi a Super Fine Dinning option straight from Norhtern italy the region of Emilia Romagna - the richest part of Italy where all your car manufacturers , artist were originated from - in a nutshell a region of Italy where most of your designer goods are made; this fine dining star called Artusi hails from the same region. A lovely Ristorante  in Delhi's own greater kailash - 2 ,which soon will be converted to the Foodies Zone of south Delhi - every alternate building is an restaurant , a pub or a coffee shop and the ones in between sell designer hardware , not bad at all . On the lighter side of life Emilia Romagna reminds me of Our Punjab from the North - richness loaded.

 To be a true foodie or a great chef you need to travel and thats exactly what the trio did before they entered India. Guprinder and Oscar have been across the globe thanks to Oscars Private banking job and their love for travel n discovery. Oscar comes across like a man with class and finesse , Gurpinder is also all of that but with a touch of motherhood , she is a delhi girl from birth - traveled across the globe fell in love with oscar and kept travelling ever since LoL . They are blessed with a 16 yr old son. They both explore discover food where ever they land.  She herself is a fab cook . Both Gurprinder and Romina give the restaurant a feeling of a dining room in a well established cultured Italian family home where there is class and the warmth of the mothers kitchen. 

 Romina is the young energetic mother of  Artusi's Kitchen - wearing her Psychedelic colorful work pajamas - fresh glowing Italian lady with a beautiful smile - can charm any one ... she mothers kitchen and the customers equally . Its the time of Chef interaction and between Gurpinder , Oscar and Romina they do a fab job . She too belongs to Emilia Romagna and is extremely possessive about the heritage .. well this was my first interaction with an expat lady chef , i was a bit apprehensive on my questions , but she made feel so comfortable that i didn once question her choice of the meal for us . All i said was i want eight dishes thats it , from the entree to appetizer to the main course and desert . Btw Chef Romina has been doing research on ingredients for the last 4 months and managed to get a headway just a couple of weeks ago to launch Artusi . To a large extent the ingredients are from the region of Emilia specially the cheese and the balsamic vinegar.

exteriors and interiors

Oscar explained the interiors in beautiful touching words - this is my Grand ma's living room ,hence no questions asked .  It was indeed nice to visit a ground floor restaurant in Gk - II , well a lot has been spoken and debated about the interiors- its bright , its closed , its wall to wall carpeted, its seated in a zig zag fashion , entry from a small corridor  but thats the way oscar wanted it to replicate Italy's richness in India .... it is a replica of a perfect fine dine restaurant straight from the northern most part of italy ... You step in you are welcomed by a beautifully lit bar with high stools . The bar counter like every Italian bar has a espresso machine , a small show window of the delicious pastries on display . A lot of woodwork ,yellow is the theme of the walls , the smell of fresh coffee greets you . So on th ground level they have the bar , The Dining area and the kitchen - in the basement they have a cigar Lounge . 

Trust me when i entered the dinning area i felt as though i was on board the orient express dining saloon.

Besides the beautiful elements making the interiors of Artusi , the cutlery caught my attention ... beautiful crockery and cutlery  they have picked up from Italy. Very simple and elegant but yet so classy . La Tavola designer cutlery for the luxury segment headquartered in vercelli , Italy  - owned by the sambonet brothers - this brand is one of the most sought after brand in italy and specially in high end commercial  restaurant business - they have years of experience in designing stuff like this, they have a special extremely trained family member heading this division  . Was very impressed to see the latest collection at Artusi, must be really expensive .

The Food:

My Research on the Region of Emilia Romagna says that they are known for their Hard cheese - The egg Pasta and the balsamic Vinegar . In details : Prosciutto di Parma, Balsamic Vinegar from Modena, Parmesan cheese and artisanal pasta creations like Ravioli, Tortellini, Passatelli, Cappelletti, Lasagna, Tagliatelle as well as the famous Ragu' Bolognese sauce.

Sangiovese, Lambrusco, Trebbiano and Albana wines are all produced in the Emilia-Romagna - and wanst i delighted to be tasting the same at Artusi. 

Ferro

Baby spinach, grapes, pears and goat cheese salad - finished with toasted pine nuts and balsamic vinegar - The salad was good great dressing but they are faced with a challenge like every one else in the business, hmmmmm  a universal problem for north India where greens are concerned  they go off season and then the trouble starts because the flavor starts going bitter . well spinach was not bitter as yet but was a bit limp - but the dressing was good , the combination of Pine Nuts , Kishmish and cheese was wonderful. Dont how they are going to keep sourcing fresh Spinach in the damn heat , im sure they are prepared for it .

Rape e Noci

Roasted beets, water cress, green apple, walnuts, goat cheese -finished with croutons and balsamic vinegar - the best plating, looked like a bird with open feathers - a very comfortable salad with all the fresh crunchy vegetables  - slowly mix the goat cheese dressing with the veggies and enjoy it .. no hurry salad . Lovely crunch of the walnuts  the beet and yes the green apples go wel with the cheese to enhance the acidity . Good Salad loved the vinegar and veggy combo.

Pollo Tiepido

Warm chicken breast set in a fennel salad with oranges and olives and oregano - Favorite, surprised me totally - warm well cooked chicken - fennel , oranges for the zing,  the olives for the salt component rocket leaves for the crunch- i was confused with the fusion of the flavors , i found the olives a bit too salty and were over powering the citrus flavors .. but thats something that can be managed . Over all a great salad can serve as a standalone dish for the dieters like me hahahahahaha.. The lemon dressing was well done and perfect.

Tortelli & Cappelletto

PASTA : An amazing find - the shape of the pasta in Italy changes with the region it belongs to - triangular , cap shaped , round square all from different regions within italy - quite like India.

Tortelli :Artfully hand-made pasta pockets filled with a mix of pumpkins and potatoes -         set in creamy Gorgonzola cheese sauce. Yes of course was amazing to eat - the cheesy sauce was to die for could be licked off the plate - but remember tiger was in a fine dining restaurant so better behave . The filling of pumpkin gave it a nice twist of sweetness and also combined well with the  flavor of cheese .

Cappelletto :Artfully hat-shaped pasta pockets, made one by one by our chef - filled with ricotta and Parmiggiano Reggiano cheeses - set in a light tomatoes and basil sauce . A very Christmas Dish, its this art of making stuffed pasta known as cappetello.. this is a a very traditional dish belonging to the region of  emilia as per Mr Artusi this particular form of pasta is filled with cheese ,meat and boiled in a meat broth and be topped with any dressing or sauce here the use Ragu..The original art of making this comes from the historic book of eating well the gospel of Artusi  . I did try one without the sauce and trust me it was sheer divine - the hard cheese has super acidity and the smell so nice and pungent .


Well time to confess - i had given up eating pasta in restaurants becos its avilabve in al wedding parties etc etc being easy to make - i go to shaadis and ask the pasta counter guy Bhai pasta banao - white sauce daalo , loads of garlic and endless amount of cheese thats it - so had had an overdose of it . But what happened at Arstusi was amazing and I love Pasta once again .

Chef Romina Lugaresi and The smiley team 

Chef Romina has been at the helm of kitchens in the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and now in India for more than twenty years. Throughout all these years she has been focusing on one cuisine only: the cuisine of her native land Emilia-Romagna.. “I simply want to deliver the very best only, every day of the week, thus I trust my team but I also keep a close watch on every dish that leaves my kitchen” says Romina while smiling broadly. She has set up a beautiful clean kitchen on the straight line method , she is training a bunch of junior chefs to match he levels of standards. of course she overlooks and signs every dish that gets plated . So basicaly she believes in freshness, plating ,authenticity and customer interaction of any kind. She is my mommy . :) 

Risotto Ortolano

Risotto Ortolano

Highest quality Carnaroli rice and seasonal vegetables and authentic Grana Padana cheese are used to make this traditional Italian risotto... My First love of Italian food - the Mushroom Rissotto....  well the risotto ortolano helped me get rid of the fixation or rather add another dish to my Love list ... A plain vanilla simple vegetable risotto with carrots,leek , celery parsley, zucchini and peas -   tasting so perfect , incredible indeed  ... hmmm im finding words to explain the freshness , the flavors of this magical dish specially made by Chef Romina for me , touched.  Yes i agree the ingredient play a vital role in the dish but its the chefs hand which adds the magic potion to the simple dish. Chef Romina you nailed it.

Pappardelle Faraona & Gnocchi Pesto e Patate

Pappardelle Faraona :Home-made pasta in the shape of very broad noodles - set in a ragu' of slow-cooked grandmother style guinea hen and vegetables - the hand made  eggpasta a speciality again of the region is actually slow cooked in the guinea broth and then served with Veggies topped with  ragu sauce . Initally i thot it would be the same pasta in red sauce but i was wrong the flavor is so different . The combination of handmade Egg Pasta with Ragu was delicious and in harmony.

Gnocchi Pesto e Patate :Home-made gnocchi pasta - set in a traditional pesto and potatoes sauce .. ah my sons favorite ever since he traveled to italy , the guy beleives in perfection and visited six pl;aces to get a feel of the real gnochhi. i have to bring him here to try Artusi ..... and im sure he wil pass this off with flying colors . Nothing like gnochhi in fresh pesto sauce topped with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Sorbetto al Limone & all’a Mela verde

Sorbetto al Limone :Lemon Sorbet

Sorbetto all’a Mela verde :Green apple Sorbet   

Yes yes a palate cleanser when you order a five course meal - the twist to the sorbet was the topping of chilled sparkling wine - it worked wonderfully well . 

Branzino Cartoccio

 Bel sapore  Branzino Cartoccio :Oven baked imported sea bass filet served with artichokes,cherry tomatoes, potatoes and olives - this was my favorite white  meat dish - simple authentic , healthy and  filled with flavors . I actually saw a video of how this is made - they take a full basa fish - cut it open at the belly stuff it with chilly powder salt and a crushed garlic thats it - then wrapped  in an aluminum foil soaked in wine and other veggies - and oven baked thats it . So simple yet so good - Please tell me Chef Romina whats the magic potion in this so addictive dish .

MEATS

Angnello Premium quality lamb chops imported from New Zealand – grilled to perfection on the grill with a touch of pistachio lemon oil – served with baked potato, grilled eggplant and tomatoes,and crunchy leeks. And they cut so easily - well cured meat and good marination.

Costine di Maiale & Angnello Premium quality baby back ribs imported from Europe Slowly cooked ribs grilled to tenderness on a rich and thick house sauce -served with French fries and grilled vegetables - hmmm was a bit upset with this one - hard ribs with very lil meat . Dunno why . Wil go back for the full rack to change my mind.

Crema Pistacchio e Caffe'

Crema Pistacchio e Caffe'  :A smooth pistachio custard cream with coffee gelatine, butter cookiesand pistachio crackers. Another Artusi Ristorante must try ! A very innovative desert .. sweet to bitter as you go down the bite . I love these kind of experiences they make my palate mind start thinking and absorbing each flavor.

Panna cotta

Splendida Panna cotta

Pudding served with caramelized figs and roasted almonds. This is the real Panna Cotta ! An Artusi Ristorante signature dessert. A must-try ! Yes a must must try - join me for just a coffee and panna cotta - thats it . DIVINE every bite is divine - you cant stop going ummmmm oooomph and so on . Instead of me explaining the experience why dont you jst invite me over or lets do the panna cotta together and cherish the amazing creation of Artusi . 

Meri Italian Maa

Sconvolgente Esperienza

Tigers Overall Experience : Yet again amazing - I love any place where there is warmth, interaction,personalisation , good service and freshness.

Ambiance - Perfectly Italian 

Service - Super - GM Aman is a well trained and educated man - experienced in Italy hence knows his stuff and maintains high standards.

Food - Salads need a bit of tweaking , Pasta to die for , meats - fish outstanding , The Pork Ribs need to be better cured , the lamb well done - and yes the Desert to Die For - over all a good fine dine experience after a long time .

Ps : the italian phrases words used are from the trabsaltion website on the net - soif they are wrong please blame the website not me , i just made an effort.