Meeting your parents and sister after 6 months can give you a different kind of high. But, sharing a delicious Christmas meal with them makes it even merrier. Since I couldn’t visit my parents and sister for Christmas, they decided to come and meet me in Bangalore, where I work. We did not have the required facilities to cook a Christmas meal, so we decided to visit a restaurant for our Christmas lunch.
It was my responsibility to choose a restaurant for lunch. I’ve wanted to take my family for an authentic Italian culinary experience for a very long time. After a lot of googling and asking friends, I found a fine dining restaurant called Chianti in Koramangala, just 5 kms from the hotel we were staying at. Even though the restaurant was a little far to go on foot, we decided to take a stroll along the streets of Koramangala and enjoy the warm sun.
Since it was Christmas afternoon and several families would probably plan to eat at restaurants, to be on the safe side, I had booked a table for the four of us a day earlier. We reached the restaurant at around 1:30 pm and the tables were just getting filled. As soon as we entered the restaurant, the host gave us a warm welcome and showed us to our table. There was a heavily decorated Christmas tree just by the side of the door which gave out a very Christmas-y vibe. Even though the place was not that spacious, it did not give us a crowded feeling. The ceiling and side walls were adorned with beautiful light fixtures that gave out a warm golden hue to the whole restaurant which made us feel very cosy and homely.
After we sat down at a table that was just beside a wall, our waiter served us a complimentary DIY Bruschetta which was a very interesting experience for us. This delicious antipasto was served on a flat wooden board with four slices of crusty bread, cherry tomatoes, basil leaves and garlic neatly placed on it. The process of eating it was very riveting – we were supposed to rub the basil leaves and garlic onto the crusty slice of bread with a piece of cherry tomato on top and drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar and have a hearty bite of the whole thing. The blend of the basil leaves, garlic and olive oil was packed with all the umami flavours. We tried to order several of the Italian classics so that we could experience an authentic Italian feast.
For the main course, we ordered Ravioli Di Pollo e Funghi Con Salsa Romano, a ravioli dish that was stuffed with juicy minced chicken, mushroom and mascarpone cheese and tossed in a classic Romano sauce. The bright red romano sauce that covered the ravioli was an alluring contrast against the white china that it was served on. The mellowness of the creamy mascarpone cheese and chunky bits of chicken and mushroom in the ravioli was a divine explosion of flavours in the mouth.
The Lasagne Di Pollo that we had after that was layered pasta with stringy cheese, minced meat and thick bolognese sauce. The blend of the sweetness of the bolognese sauce and the piquancy of the minced meat made the lasagna a definite must-try dish in Chianti. To finish our ideal main course, we had the Mare e Monti, a cut of filet mignon, tiger prawns, roasted bacon with creamy leek fondue and a side of roasted brussels sprouts, baby potatoes and a divine red wine jus. The perfect cut of filet mignon was the highlight of the dish. The smoky flavours of the beef blended with the crunchiness of the tiger prawns, and the creaminess of the leek fondue smeared with the red wine jus was definitely the showstopper of the day. For the grand finale, we had the Bomba Di Cioccolato, a chocolate lava cake with a hot gooey centre served with creamy vanilla ice-cream. The decadent dessert was served on a special plate with a round centre in which the cake and ice-cream were placed with a drizzle of chocolate sauce on top. It was served in such a way that when we broke into the lava cake, the chocolate would ooze out and get mixed with the cold vanilla ice-cream and when we had a spoonful of it, we would get a mouthful of the best of both worlds.
Even though we did not have a warm cozy Christmas meal from the comforts of our home, this meal at Chianti made for a great Christmas meal. I would definitely recommend this beautiful place for people looking for delicious and authentic Italian food.