As
I walked through the doors twice (yes I had a meal here on two consecutive
evenings) of this Italian Adventure, I was overwhelmed with the majestic feel
of a multi levelled restaurant replete with a 25 feet high ceiling , two flights of
stairs, a vibrant show kitchen and exotic fragrance of Italian food. The
restaurant consists a rich bar (as in the wine is excellent!) and of course I
cannot talk of the bar and not mention ‘Ema’ the vivacious bartender ever
ready to whip you up a heady cocktail of your choice and she keeps her bar like
a Laboratory where she is forever experimenting with new flavours only to
present her best and boldest creations: drinks like the Oak-aged Negroni with
cherry wood smoke and the JW style spiced Old Fashioned with homemade garam
masala syrup.
A
visit to the kitchen revealed that there truly are a lot of specialists working
in here and chef keeps them all busy. Pasta dishes are made in-house, and
completely by hand, in the old artisanal way. For example to make perfect
Tortellini (round shaped) one needs talent, experience, dedication, a
professional environment and simply a lot time and trust me this and the rest
of the handmade pasta menu that includes a wide range of
delicacies like Gnocchi (made of
potatoes only), a series of artfully shaped of pasta pockets like Raviolo (square-shaped) as well as
noodles that vary in size from very thin ones Angel Hair to very broad ones Pappardelle
are no less spectacular.
But before that,
savour the selection of antipasti, soups and chef’s salad selection. The vibe is homey, comfort Italian chow like
‘Minestrone’ and ‘Aglio olio’ are done to perfection.
Recommendations go all out for the Burrata,
which means ‘buttered,’ a luscious, creamy fresh cheese made by mixing cream
and unspun mozzarella curds together, this is one simple dish which tastes good only
if done right and here kissed by sweet basil
pesto alongside heirloom tomatoes was absolutely decadent to the core. The warm
mushroom salad wasn’t bad either with parsley and roasted garlic, though it
could have done with a little less salt.It was the exceptional sea bass baked in
parchment paper, fragrant with lemon sauce and clams that was the most stellar
preparation. The menu is concise and changed seasonally; in keeping with the spirit of Italian
cooking, everything is fresh and the flavours are kept simple so they balance
each other. Desserts, too, are exemplary especially the ‘Tiramisu’ a fluffy
sponge combined with exotic flavours of espresso and cocoa ,layered with
mascarpone served out of a porcelain dish which one is allowed to gorge on
unlimited and trust me you may end up eating half of the bowl, so do save
space.
FAST FACTS
Romano’s
is at the JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai Sahar, IA Project Road, Chhatrapati Shivaji
International Airport, Sahar, Andheri East, Mumbai
Tel: 022
33956233
Timings: Open only for dinner all days of the week.
Timings: Open only for dinner all days of the week.
