Restauranthesis: Botticino, Trident, BKC, Mumbai

Mumbai,India

Botticino at the Trident Hotel was on my mind for long and it happened on a rainy Tuesday night. The restaurant gets its name from the Italian marble of the same name, it comes from Lombardy. Headed by Chef Sushil Multani an old hand at Italian cooking who is also specializing in molecular gastronomy, I was looking forward to the experience.

The first look at the menu and I was taken aback to see a lot of combinations one can find at every single eatery, the spinach and ricotta topped the list. Nonetheless it was wineoclock and a glass of Bardolino was brought to the table, I put my inhibitions aside as I devoured the amuse bouche, a parmesan sphere with mushrooms. It was divine. The popular combination of Rucola, Goat Cheese and balsamic was taken up a notch with the fig compote and the griddled goat cheese patty.  The mushroom, porcini and morel cream was hearty, but didn’t meet expectations of a mushroom rush for all the powerful variants in it.

The dish that came next left me spellbound, it was a galaxy on the plate and I thought I tasted the universe. The Chestnut Cappelletti filled with chestnut cream was served with orange cream, lemon preserve and reduced balsamic with some Quinoa in the base. The sweet, the sour, the parsley green and the Quinoa worked up a magic. It was certainly the highlight of the meal.

I have my picks of my best ravioli experience just like the veg lasagna and I am glad I encountered this eggplant Parmigiana, now I know the best I have tasted. Very thin slices of Aubergines layered with basil, tomato sauce and cheese pressed on a baking tray and baked till it gets a lovely crisp texture from the outside. Eat it to believe it!

I now knew some classics like the Parmigiana in a new avatar but the question of Spinach and Ricotta still loomed large and I couldn’t resist to ask Chef Sushil,  ‘Spinach and Ricotta and a few  other combinations like the goat cheese and ricotta ravioli are there as they are popular and people want them,however we do add the Botticino touch to them. So more than our improvisation it is always about our guests,having said that we certainly have dishes for those who love to experiment.’ He explained.

I ended my meal with a scoop of Stracciatella, a vanilla and choco flake icecream.