Up a flight of stairs and right above the popular Bloom Café and Cakery in Khan Market, New Delhi, the sound of soft music wafts out along with the smell of freshly-cooked Italian food. The lighting is warm, the decor in shades of bottle green and beige looks inviting and the servers greet you with a gracious smile. ‘Welcome to Cicchetti Italiano, a little slice of Italy right here in Delhi’ they seem to say.
Well, because it does feel like we have been transported to a quaint restaurant somewhere in Venice or Milan. Chef Parth Gupta, who incidentally is also the founder of the café downstairs, visited parts of Northern Italy earlier this year and voila, decided to open Cicchetti Italiano to give the Delhiwallahs a taste of authentic Italian vegetarian cuisine. The word Cicchetti, (pronounced Chee-Ket-Tee), translates to sharing plates in Italian. “Just like we have our concept of chai and savouries in the evening, the Italians have an aperitivo hour. After work, they sit at local bars, order a selection of spritz and pair them with sharing plates known as cicchetti,” he explains, as he shows us to a table in the corner, opposite a painting of a cute cat sitting amidst slices of cheese and a bottle of olive oil.
Now that we are seated, we glance at what is thankfully not a very elaborate menu. As we have realised over the years, less is more, especially when it comes to restaurant menus.
First on the table comes the Insalata Di Burrata – a colourful bowl of burrata topped with house-made pesto, confit tomatoes, arugula leaves and nutty almonds with home-baked crostini. We cut the burrata open and spread all the elements of the bowl on the bread, as suggested by the chef. You can taste how fresh the burrata is with its almost velvety creaminess along with the garlicky goodness of the cherry tomatoes that have been slow-cooked with garlic and herbs.
The highlight of the menu, however, is of course the cicchetti section which has been divided into three categories for ease. The first are the Bruschettas, followed by the fried snacks section called Fritti and then the Spuntini, which include the bar munchies. It is a pleasant surprise to see such a variety of vegetarian bruschettas on offer – right from the classic Caprese with slow-cooked cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to the Confit Garlic E Rosemarino which is a confit of garlic and rosemary with parmesan, the Tapenade Alle Oliv E with olive, caramelised onions and garlic cream cheese and the Porcini E Parma with porcini mushrooms, parmesan and truffle pate among others. Each of the bruschettas does justice to their presence on the menu, but our favourite is the Tapenade Alle Oliv E in which the sharpness of the olives is balanced with the sweetness of caramelised onions.
On the chef’s insistence, we order one portion of Gnocoo Fritto, only to instantly regret our decision after taking one bite of it – regret ordering just one portion, that is! The crispy fermented dough balls, almost like square-shaped golgappas but softer from the inside, are served with a trio of condiments, including basil pesto, pomodoro and formaggio sauce. Dip them in one or all the sauces, or crack them open and fill them up before having them whole and you would be forgiven for polishing off the plate in one addictive go!
The chef is big on sustainability and it shows up in different ways in the food he serves us. The different kinds of caviars on the bruschettas - including balsamic, lemon and herbed – are made from different parts of the vegetables and leaves, so nothing goes to waste. The ingredients are sourced locally, and every dish is preservative-free and made from scratch using in-house breads, sauces and cheeses. The Porcini E Tartufo pizza we have next, has an organic sourdough base which has undergone a 72-hour fermentation process to develop gut-friendly bacteria. No wonder we don’t feel heavy or bloated even after tasting so many dishes.
And after all this deliciousness, if there’s still space in the tummy for one more dish, make it the Cacio E Pepe Con Cipolla pasta, a classic cacio e pepe which gets its flavour from freshly-ground pepper and Pecorino cheese. However, the chef has added some caramelised onions for a bit of a sweet twist. Less is more, we said earlier, and there couldn’t be a better example. The pasta is simple, yet rich in flavours and gets the balance of cheesy, creamy and sweet just right.
If there is a bit of a disappointment, it is with the dessert. The Cassata E Fragola has a trio of three flavoursome gelatos but on that day, the vanilla sponge base is a little hard on account of being in the freezer for too long and the generous dollop of strawberry coulis it is served with, overpowers the gelato flavours. Next time, we’d stick to the classic tiramisu or the sticky toffee pudding we had heard a friend rave about.
Did anyone say another portion of the Gnocoo Fritto? Yes, please!
Address: Cicchetti Italiano, 70, Khan Market, New Delhi 110003
Meal for two: INR 2,500 plus taxes