When was the last time we have been to Spaghetti Kitchen Kolkata ?
As Madhushree asked this question I searched for answers as I had none . Inspite of the fact that Spaghetti Kitchen Kolkata has been cooking up a storm in the foodscape of Kolkata and Madhushree has been an Italian food fan – I have been successful . Successful in negating out slightest of chances to go to Spaghetti Kitchen till this time . Now I feel we should go more often and missed out a lot .
This summer, Spaghetti Kitchen Kolkata comes out with their new menu, which is Italian with more zing than you will ever know. We experienced it. Chef Indranil was kind enough to take us through the entire new menu, the idea behind it and also explained each one of the dishes to us. Along with this fresh and vibrant food selection, came an assortment of fruity margaritas both in alcoholic and non alcoholic form and I thought they went very well with the food that we tasted.
We started with some breads and salads with a platter of char grilled flat breads along with 4 different kinds of Mediterranean dips. Then came the Sweet Pepper Ripeini, which is basically grilled bell peppers, rolled out and stuffed with 3 kinds of cheese and herbs, served on a bed of rocket leaves and some parmesan crisps. This would be a highly recommended selection. It is sweet and creamy, with the rocket leaves adding the nutty flavour and the parmesan crisps balancing the entire dish with its saltiness. The Ceasar salad with some smoky chicken breast strips, was a variation from the classic.
The antipasti were a selection of classics and more fun menu. There was the sweet and smoky cottage cheese, which was very rich and decadent without being over powering. Then the funghi fritti, another classic Italian side dish, got elevated in taste with the mushroom caps being stuffed with spinach and herbed cheese and deep fried in a crispy batter. After some vegetarian selections, came Supreme de pollo Red pesto, which is chicken supreme macerated in wine and red pesto sprinkled with seasoned crumb and baked with cheese; and again another crowd pleasing antipasti, the Frito Misto ‘D Mare, which in English is assorted seafood fritters served with Burnt garlic Aioli. We had to really force ourselves to stop nibbling at these succulent and juicy sea food, deep fried in a very light batter.
By the end of the antipasti, we were almost out of breath. Each of the dishes that were brought in was very thoughtful and balanced in taste. We had to request the Chef to give us some time to reminisce the flavours before the main course was brought in.
Well, an Italian lunch couldn’t do without Pizza or pasta. We tasted a vegetarian pizza which had olives, artichokes, asparagus and sundried tomato and the non vegetarian selection had Moroccan spiced chicken with cumin chillies, saffron and olives. They were both thin crust hand rolled pizzas and the freshness of the ingredients was quite evident from the taste. The chicken pizza was especially interesting because of the addition of cumin and chilli. It was perfectly balanced with a hint of spice blending in the creaminess of the cheese.
I am not a huge fan of pasta, never understood the greatness of it. Madhushree completely disagrees with me here. We were given Fuseli Putanesca and Penne Vodka. The Penne Vodka was flavoured with light cream and imported Pomodoro tomatoes, Parmesean cheese and flamed with Vodka giving it a distinctive pink colour while adding another layer to the flavour balance. This is another one of the must- order dish in the menu.
We were presented with some assortment of crepes with some savoury toppings and a cottage cheese umbria, which is cottage cheese topped with mushroom served with a slow cooked ginger tomato and orange glaze. We were also served a Pan seared fish steak served on the bed of Aromatic Veloute, garnished with sun kissed tomatoes, artichoke, lemon segment and Red Pimentos. Instead of the usual Basa or Snapper, typically used in Spaghetti Kitchen, Chef Indranil decided to introduce Bekti in this recipe. Being a fish lover, both of us loved the freshness of the fish. It was a little short on seasoning and somehow did not stand out after the wonderful pastas and pizza.
What came next, did magic on our palettes. It was the Pickled Scented Pepper chicken, which is basically roasted chicken roulade enhanced with red wine and orange liquor sauce and green black pepper sauce served with a bed of potato mash. This would definitely go as the dish of the day from the both of us right after the sweet pepper ripieni. The chicken had a lot of flavour packed into a roulade. The roulade was very moist with the right amount of acidity neutralising the creaminess of the chicken mousse stuffing. The two sauces worked well together and created surprise with every bite.
Just as our appetite finally gave up, Chef Indranil decided to challenge it by sending out the three new desserts on the menu. Who could resist the temptation to try out the baked mango cheese cake, the classic tiramisu and the raspberry gelato. For me the cheese cake was a bit heavy, but the gelato was like an explosion of flavour and freshness in the mouth. Raspberry being a typical summer berry is an excellent choice to create a gelato flavour, rich is sweetness balancing with the tartness of the raspberries.
Spaghetti Kitchen is open from 12:00 AM to 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM. It is situated at the 4th floor of Forum Mall, on Elgin Road, Kolkata. The cost for two is about Rs. 1800 without alcohol.