When one said, “There’s nothing more romantic than Italian food.” ; the other said, “The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you’re hungry again.“.
There is another, who said, “Italian food is all about ingredients and it’s not fussy and it’s not fancy.”
And, what I say is, “All the above statements hold so true for my dearest Italian Food.” 🙂
Now, whoever has been reading my blog for some time or even know me a little, they all know my love for the Italian food.
And, over the years, my love for Italian food has outgrown the regular pizzas or pastas. I want to explore more with the Italian food. I want to experiment, with my taste buds for the fondness of Italian food. As I was thinking about my love for travelling to Italy and explore the culinary extravaganza, I got this invite! Invite for a blogger’s preview for the Italian Food Festival “La Dolce Vita“, which is ongoing at Deccan Pavillion of ITC Kakatiya, is definitely going to take you on the culinary journey to Italy. The Italian delicacies as part of this food festival are the finest creations by Chef Vittorio Greco.
Chef Vittorio Greco, is born in South of Italy and spent his considerable childhood years in Tuscany, and then moved to Australia. Eventually, he came to India to reign the Italian chain of restaurant ‘Ottimo’, as part of ITC Hotels groups in 3 major metropolitan cities of Bengaluru, Delhi and Chennai. According to the chef, the striking similarity between Italians and Indians is that people from both these nations relish their lazy, laid-back, big meals along with their families. Both nationals, love to eat with fingers. During the lunch, we got to interact with him. And, must say, he is the powerhouse of knowledge for Italian cuisine. Also, because of his so much exposure to the world, he knows the cultural diversity, which brings out the best of a chef.
For the blogger’s lunch, it was a set menu, curated by the chef. For the days of the food festival, there will be various kind of specialities, skillfully curated by our very own Master Chef from Italy.
To start with that day, we were served a Lobster and Bocconcini salad. The semi-soft Bocconcini, which is a kind of mozzarella cheese, was diced with the lobster meat slices. Served with iceberg lettuce and cherry tomatoes. The uncanny flavour of the cheese complemented the taste of seafood and was absolutely alluring and persuading for the rest of the feast.
The vegetarians among us were served with a pretty palate of cheese and tomato salad. Tossed with Iceberg lettuce, black olives and cherry tomatoes.
Cauliflower and Almond Soup was an absolute comfort dish. Which looked so bland, but said that; the moment I had my first sip of it, I was so taken up. I was so taken by it, that I wanted to have another whole bowl of it. Cauliflower cooked slowly in Almond milk with a tinge of garlic and cinnamon, to give it a complete creamy texture, is definitely counted in one of the favourite soups I had. Topped, with flakes of roasted almond, the flavour of the soup was so delightful to the soul.
Wild Prawns Tortellini was served as the first main course. Well, I had my tortellini for the first time. And, definitely, a lucky one I am, as I get it curated by the chef, who belongs to its origin. The ring-shaped pasta, stuffed with prawns was mouthwatering. This was sauteed along with prawns in cheese sauce and topped with asparagus sauce. Â And, my favourite of that day. The flavours were mild but distinct, the texture was soft but remarkable. I am already craving for it again, as I am writing it now.
The second main course was River Murrel Celery Capers.  The fresh Murrel fish carefully cooked in mild and thin sauce of celery and capers, to hold onto the sweet taste and freshness, was a first of its kind. As a Bengali, I loved the fish and unlike a Bengali preparation, I loved this Italian preparation. So light, yet so divine to taste buds.
For those who don’t prefer seafood, there was a chicken preparation in freshly prepared tomato sauce, namely Pollo Pomodoro.
So, did I mention about the loaves of bread? No! Ohh, my dear foodies, “please don’t miss on the bread”. The freshly baked breads are the absolute delight for a gourmet. Loved them!
And, to ‘finire il pasto’ with a sinful divinity, we were served Tiramisu. Slightly bitter with strong coffee flavours, and textured with mascarpone cheese and Italian lady finger, I was won. When all were busy talking with each other, my major concentration was with this delight. I was so kind of having my mindful eating with this delicacy. 
The Italian Food Festival in on till 16th February, as part of their regular buffet at Deccan Pavillion of ITC Kakatiya.
For me, I already had a slice of my culinary extravaganza, en route to Italy. And, it was absolutely “Ottimo” (‘excellent’ in English) , just like the Italian culinary luxury.
Special mention about the chef, “if the food festival is so warm and inviting; meeting the Master Chef Vittorio Greco, is blissful and divine pleasure for gastronomy love.” His personal favourites are Spaghetti Pomodoro and Parmigiano.
At:
—Deccan Pavillion
ITC Kakatiya
Call at: 040-40081801 —
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