Just when one thought that Delhi NCR now has a great choice of
fabulous Italian restaurants spread across five star hotels and stand-alones, comes another gem. Despite
reading the fantastic reviews on Bella Cucina, Le Meridien Gurgaon, I waited
for the initial hype to settle down before visiting the restaurant on a
leisurely Saturday afternoon. But before my meal ended I only wished that I had
gone there sooner. So here I present to you six irresistible reasons to book
your table there at the earliest.
 |
| Top: Australian lamb rack with red wine jus. Bottom: Prawn ravioli; Pumpkin risotto. |
1. Delicious Food
No matter how amazing a restaurant is in any other way, good food
always has to top the list. And going by my first experience at Bella Cucina, I
can’t wait to head back to try the rest of the dishes. Right from the flavour-packed
mushroom cappuccino that is served with a porcini brioche to the refreshing
compressed beetroot salad with goat cheese snow and the succulent Australian lamb
rack with creamy spinach, the food simply tastes good! So yes, there is a bit
of molecular fun and trendy twists to classic dishes, but the essence of these
dishes is maintained and the end result is ‘tasty’. And of course, being an
Italian restaurant, there is a range of pastas and pizzas. The prawn ravioli
that I try is handmade and the bisque emulsion and sauce made of young tomatoes
simply enhances the flavour of the delicious prawn inside a pillowy ravioli.
Besides a choice of classic pizzas there is an option to create your own pizza,
which I am sure excites adults as much as the kids. Because after all, we all
have our favourite pizza toppings!
 |
| Chef Amit Kumar The bright interiors offer ample sunlight and view of the pool. |
2. Young and Spunky Chef
Chef Amit
Kumar who heads this ‘beautiful kitchen’ (since that’s the literal translation
of Bella Cucina) is young, straightforward and very clear about the kind of
menu he wanted for this restaurant. His youthfulness is translated onto dishes
that are inspired from classics, but are far from boring. The seared tuna salad
that is served with a poached egg and spinach hollandaise is his interpretation
of the Nicoise salad. An honest approach to his guests ensures that the menu
highlights not only the non-vegetarian dishes from the vegetarian ones, but
also dishes that use egg have been marked so. “We get plenty of vegetarian
guests who don’t eat egg, I don’t want to fool them by serving egg hidden in
dishes,” he says. I am already looking forward to the next idea that he is working on, something
that he claims “no one else in India is doing yet”.
 |
| Top: Freshly baked breads. Bottom: Bellini and Martini; Mushroom Capuccino with Porcini Broche. |
3. Uncomplicated Menu
In a day and
age where specially sourced foreign ingredients lead to fancy names of dishes,
it is a pleasure to read an unpresumptuous menu that distinguishes pasta as “short,
long, handmade’ and so on. While there are many who are exposed to world
cuisine from their umpteen international trips, there is also a large number of
people who simply don’t know farfalle from fettucine. Bella Cucina welcomes them all. But in my opinion, an
easy to read menu also gives one the comfort of dining in a relaxed space
unlike a stiff, formal restaurant where you might look ‘uncool’ if you aren’t
on top of the ‘fancy-food’ game.
 |
| Top: Compressed beetroot salad with goat cheese snow. Bottom: A unique take on the Nicoise salad. |
4. Value for Money
Being in a five star hotel, the pricing comes as a pleasant
surprise. While pasta dishes start from Rs 550, risotto from Rs 625, and the
most expensive pizza priced at Rs 800, these prices are comparable, if not
marginally lower, than even a few upmarket stand-alone restaurants. This of
course makes it easier to go back to Bella Cucina repeatedly. A recent addition
has been a three-course express lunch menu at Rs 1150 (all-inclusive).
 |
| Top: Tiramisu Bottom: Espresso chocolate mousse. |
5. Fabulous Tiramisu
While Chef Amit
proudly showcases his espresso coffee mousse that comes in a chocolate dome and
splattered with raspberry coulis, I tend to stop at a good tiramisu (even
though the other dessert tastes fabulous). And having recently returned from
Italy where I had ‘authentic’ tiramisu almost everyday, all I can say is that
this one is as good as what I had in the land of the tiramisu.
6.
Charming Ambience
And finally,
when you go out to a nice place it just makes the entire experience very
special. While the afternoon lets in plenty of daylight and a view of the swimming
pool and greenery beyond the high glass walls, I can imagine this space to be
equally ambient for a romantic evening out. So Bella Cucina also gets a thumbs
up for both, a casual meal out as well as for celebrating special occasions.
Details:
Bella Cucina, Le
Meridien Gurgaon, Delhi NCR, MG Road, Sector 26, Delhi-Gugraon Border, Gurgaon,
Haryana, India.
Timings: 12.30pm-3pm; 7pm-11.45pm.
Tel: +91 124 499 2008
