Feasting on Classic Roman Dishes!

- December 9, 2019
| By : Sharmila Chand |

Perbacco — at The Lodhi,New Delhi — is envisioned to offer an inventive approach to contemporary Italian dining infused with traditional flavours “Perbacco was born out of a passion for Italian food. Ingredients and produce are celebrated in Italian food, creating a beautiful mélange that is nutritious as well as robust and hearty. I am […]

Perbacco — at The Lodhi,New Delhi — is envisioned to offer an inventive approach to contemporary Italian dining infused with traditional flavours

“Perbacco was born out of a passion for Italian food. Ingredients and produce are celebrated in Italian food, creating a beautiful mélange that is nutritious as well as robust and hearty. I am confident diners will enjoy the cornucopia of flavours that we have presented at Perbacco,” says Chef Adriano Baldassarre as we begin settling down at the chef’s table to introduce the launch of the maiden menu at Perbacco.

Perbacco is the latest addition to the eclectic dining scene at The Lodhi, New Delhi. The restaurant is envisioned to offer an inventive approach to contemporary Italian dining infused with traditional flavours. And no one else but Chef Adriano Baldassarre, owner and head chef of the Michelin Star restaurant ‘Tordomatto’ in Rome, is the Mentor Chef of the restaurant. With an impressive career of working with a number of fine-dining restaurants across Europe and India, Chef Baldassarre is one of the youngest chefs who have won the prestigious recognition of Michelin star.

Décor

The ambience at Perbacco is elegant and chic. The ‘Italian Bloom’ lighting installation in the center of the restaurant creates a space that makes you feel at one with spring in Italy. This long, linear arrangement of floating florets has the colours inspired by Italian spring. One of the walls features a spectacular, vibrant Tuscan landscape artwork.

The restaurant has pockets of light that Australian architect Kerry Hill put together while designing the hotel and dark warm wood flooring complements the setting. The restaurant also features an exquisite private dining area, and ‘The Safari Lounge’ offers a unique ambiance showcasing a collection of rare wildlife photographs.

Enjoy classic Italian music while relishing your meals and thank the hotel’s GM – Vikram Aditya Singh who has offered his personal collection of Italian Rock and Ballads for his guests.

The restaurant features a private dining area and an exclusive wine cellar with over 100 labels from around Italy.

Food

Chef Adriano Baldassarre and Chef Prem Pal, Executive Sous Chef have curated the menu which presents classic Italian dishes for lunch and progressive offerings for dinner.

Talking about the philosophy of food at Perbacco, chef Adriano says, “For me, the sole focus is on great-tasting food, which is rooted in traditional cooking. I am open to innovation, but greatly respect the traditions of the cuisine and the ingredients that one must use. My belief is when you’re taking your cuisine out into the world, you must translate it purely; you shouldn’t dilute it with experimentation. When you try to alter tradition too much, it doesn’t work in the long run as you are not being true to the origin and authenticity of the cuisine.

And we have highlighted this philosophy at Perbacco.”

To give us the glimpse of the best, our lunch started on a gentle note of vegetarian Onion Soup which had distinct flavor of Saffron and Parmesan. The amuse bouche of three bites each of mozzarella, olive, and tomato was a refreshing start, the house-made cheese fresh and flavorsome. The starters ‘Perbacco Beetroot Tartare Carrot and Campari’ and ‘Fresh Burrata and Peruvian Asparagus’ were decent options. There are several variants of pastas and pizzas in the menu. The pasta was al dente in pesto sauce. While it had hint of garlic, basil, nuts, olive oil, and cheese but these could have been added more generously to render robust flavour. There is a choice of Four Season Pizza with Artichoke, Mushroom, Bell Pepper and Courgettes and the non-veg option ‘Carne Pizza’ with Chicken Sausage, Minced Lamb and Pepperoni. The Lamb Cannelloni was much appreciated paired with delicate, rolled lasagna sheets, and garden-fresh tomato sauce. But the show stopper was Roasted Chilean Sea Bass with Potato Puree, Spinach and Black Olive Sauce.

As we round off our sumptuous meal with special Tiramisu which looks as stunning as sinful. We are elated to see a pretty edible chocolate spoon which we are supposed to use to dig in Tiramisu. The confluence of espresso, cocoa, biscuit bits, mascarpone cheese and wine makes us drool over it. And once again we have Chef Adriano who concludes on a happy note, “It’s a delight to be sharing my passion for Italian food with the diners of Delhi. Also, the process of exchange of knowledge is beautiful – spreading my knowledge here, and taking new learnings back with me.”

Where: The Lodhi Hotel, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

Opening hours:

Lunch: 12 pm to 3:30 pm

Dinner: 7 pm to 11:30 pm

Note: Perbacco also offers healthy quick lunch priced at INR 2000 plus taxes for diners seeking nutritionally balanced meal.

 

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