Little Italy – Leicester Square | Restaurant Review

Place: Little Italy 
Location: 6-7 Irving St, Leicester Square 
Cuisine: Italian 
Meal: Dinner (with a cousin, wifey, and our lil one) 
On: Friday, 26 August 2022

One of my cousins was in London for a day, and we decided to take her around the city. We covered Tower Bridge, Westminster, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, and Picadilly Circus in a couple of hours, and finally decided to dine at Little Italy at Leicester Square. While you’d hope that it is the same Little Italy chain from India and the Middle East, unfortunately it isn’t.

The restaurant is located on a street full of Italian joints, most of which packed for a Friday evening. I actually wanted to try Vespa Italian restaurant next door, but these guys had better vegetarian options. We decided to sit on the street for it was a lovely evening, and were offered a table right in the front. The place was abuzz and the vibe was great. Maybe a little loud, but still fine.

We decided to do a portion of Garlic Mozzarella Bread, a Vegetarian Pizza, Ravioli in white sauce, and a Vegetarian Lasagne. I also ordered a bottle of coke for myself. 

Garlic Bread - Little Italy

The Garlic Bread was served in about ten minutes and tasted delicious. The bread was super soft, and with enough garlic and cheese, this was a great start to our meal.

Vegetarian Pizza - Little Italy

The pizza was served soon and I was mighty impressed with its size. With tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, onion and aubergine, this pizza was excellent. The crust was very good and we loved it!

The Lasagne and Ravioli were served together and while I had asked for the latter in white sauce, they served it in red sauce. They immediately offered to replace it without any fuss. 

Lasagne - Little Italy

The Lasage was alright, but we thought it was too tomatoey. The updated Ravioli in white sauce needed some salt and pepper to be added, and it again tasted really good.

Overall, an excellent meal. But for the Lasagne, all the other dishes were yummy. The service was great, and no qualms about the ambience. However, the food is pricey and a meal including the service charge is heavy on the pockets; but I guess that is expected when you’re dining at Leicester Square. This is definitely a good Italian find in London.

Food: 9/10
Service: 8.5/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Meal for 4: £70.15

Verdict: 8.5/10

ASK Italian | Restaurant Review

Place: ASK Italian 
Location: Ground floor, O2 Peninsula Square 
Cuisine: Italian 
Meal: Dinner (with wifey, amma, and our lil one) 
On: Saturday, 6 August 2022 

After watching a movie at the O2 Arena, we decided to try Italian at one of the multiple options and picked ASK Italian. We stepped into the restaurant at about 8:30 PM, and there was no one at the entrance to tend to us. We should have taken this as a sign and gone to another restaurant, but for some reason, decided to linger around and wait until a guy walked up to us after about five minutes, and put us at a booth in the middle of the restaurant.

The seat cushions at this booth were ripped and the foam was out, so we asked for another table. But then almost all the seats at the restaurant were in the same shape, and this one if anything, was better than the rest and so we decided to stay put.

We decided to order the Mushrooms Al Forno starter, Mushroom & Truffle Calzone, and the Spinach & Ricotta Girasole pasta. Wifey wanted to have a drink, so we also planned to order a large glass of Merlot. And then began the wait.

Our waiter was nowhere to be seen on the floor and so there was no one to take our order. There were a couple of other waiters around our table but they wouldn’t attend to us cos it wasn’t their table. When we asked them to call our guy, they turned a deaf ear. Another sign for us to get out, but we still didn’t (particularly because wifey doesn’t like to walk out from a restaurant after we’ve settled in).

Anyway, after about ten minutes, our guy finally appeared and apologized for the long wait. We placed our order, and again, the wait continued. About twenty minutes went by and there was still no sign of our food or the waiter (again). I started walking around the place to find the guy but no sign of him. I however saw our mushrooms on the kitchen counter, ready to be served, already cold.

Wine - ASK Italian

After about thirty minutes, he walks to our table with the Wine. I told him off and informed him that the starters have been sitting at the counter for a while now, and I need them to be heated before being served. He walked to the kitchen and an argument broke out between him and the chef (who was equally miffed with him). All this was happening in front of the guests at the restaurant. 

Anyhow, the mushrooms were served about an hour after we entered the place. At this point, I asked for the manager who came to us apologizing for the long wait and said he will waive the dish off our bill.

As for the dish, there were 5 pieces of mushroom stuffed with mozzarella and breadcrumbs, served with garlic mayonnaise. They were flavourful and tasty. While the quantity wasn’t great, I was happy with the dish.

After another fifteen minutes, a burnt calzone and watery pasta were served. I immediately asked them to be taken back, but the manager said they would not be able to redo them (it looked like the chef quit and left) and again offered to exclude them from our bill. It was almost 10:00 PM, we were hungry, and most other places were either closing or closed, so without any option, we decided to eat whatever we could.

Calzone - ASK Italian

The burnt calzone was almost inedible, but we somehow managed to pull out some sections without any burn and eat it. While the stuffing was good, you could taste the smoky flavour in every bite. We had to discard about three fourth of the dish. 

As for the pasta, the girasole/ravioli was undercooked, and the sauce that was supposed to be creamy was watery. This was better than the calzone, but still disappointing.

Overall, a terrible experience and meal. The manager again walked up to our table and apologized profusely, but that didn’t help in any way. He charged us only for the wine and asked us to come back for a better experience the next time around, but I think we’ve had enough of ASK Italian for a lifetime. Forget the food, even the ambience was poor; who has almost every seat in the restaurant ripped apart? And the callous attitude of the waiters was pathetic. I don’t think I’ll be visiting any of their outlets even if they offer me free food on every visit.

Food: 4/10 (for the mushrooms)
Service: 3/10
Ambiance: 5/10
Meal for 3: N/A (£7.43 for the Wine)

Verdict: N/A

The Coffee Cup | Restaurant Review

Place: The Coffee Cup
Location: Sainikpuri
Cuisine: Global
Meal: Dinner (with friends, wifey and our lil one)

I’ve been wanting to visit Coffee Cup for ages now for I’ve heard some good things about this place. This never materialized thanks to the distance from the city. But come last Sunday, we were meeting a bunch of friends in the area, and finally, my visit came through. These guys have two setups on either side of the road, and both were packed when we dropped in at about 6:30 PM. We somehow managed to get a table for 6 in the outdoor seating area of, what I am told, the original café. It was sultry this evening, and we requested the staff to move us in as and when there was a table available.

Ambiance-wise, the place was okay. Given that we were sitting outside, we escaped the hustle and noise inside the café. We, as a group, were skeptical about whether safety protocols will be adhered to, not just here but at any place we visit. Thankfully, the staff was wearing masks, and there was a sanitizer on every table. We also had to scan a QR code stuck up on the wall to access the menu.

To start, we ordered a portion of Herbed infused folded bread, Veg. appetizer platter, the White House pizza along with a lot of coffee. The waiter suggested we opt for the Cheesy Garlic Bread instead of the Herbed bread, and we obliged.

Coffee Cup - Cheese Garlic Bread

The Garlic Bread was served in about 10 minutes, even before the coffee. Thanks to the pandemic, the four slices of bread topped with sumptuous amount of cheese, baked to perfection, were served on a disposable plate. Crunchy, with the right amount of cheese, we gulped them in a minute or so. We immediately ordered for another portion, but that never got served.

Coffee Cup - Coffee

In a few moments, our coffees were served. We ordered one Café Frappe, three Devil’s White (frappe with whipped cream and chocolate sauce), a Dangerous Devils (frappe topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and chocolate cake), and a Cinnamon Latte. We also asked for a fresh orange juice for our lil one, but they were out of oranges; we got a watermelon juice instead. All the frappes were creamy and chocolaty, and I loved mine (Devil’s White). I was told that the chocolate cake was yummy, and the latte was very good. We were very happy with all our coffees, but I thought the quantity served was less. For about 200 bucks, I’d expect more.

Coffee Cup - White House Pizza

Next came the pizza. With a few olives and a couple of burnt garlic chunks, this pizza was delicious. It was perfectly flavored, super cheesy and the crust was perfect. A few more toppings, especially of that garlic, would have worked wonders.

Coffee Cup - Veg. Appetizer Platter

The appetizer platter was served next with 3 pieces of fried cheese sticks, jalapeno poppers, spring rolls, and few fries (they replaced potato wedges with fries). We asked for a repeat right away as we knew this wouldn’t be sufficient for the table. The spring rolls were very mild and lacked the punch, fries were crispy and good, poppers and cheese sticks were practically the same, fried cheese with a little jalapeno flavor in the poppers. These were good on the first serving, cheesy, just the way I liked it. However, the ones on the repeat order lacked flavor and were very bland.

It was almost an hour and a half since we were sitting outside, and the weather was not helping us enjoy our food. So I paused for a while, went in, and looked for a table myself as the staff was not really bothered about moving us in. After about 15 minutes, and few requests, we conquered a table in a cozy corner on the first floor, right next to a bookshelf.

Our move-in didn’t feel welcomed as the waiter tending to our table was acting out of sorts. Anyways, a while later, we ordered a Four Cheese pizza, a Potato and Cheesy Croquette Sizzler, and a repeat order of frappes. I was told that the pasta here is good, but the sizzler was a little more tempting.

Coffee Cup - Sizzler

We were told that the sizzler would take time to be served, but in about 15 minutes, it was on our table (with barely any sizzle). I was surprised with what was on the plate – 3 potato croquettes, some sautéed vegetables, fries, and two small bowls of mushroom flavored sauce. That’s it? Isn’t there supposed to be some rice or noodles?

Apparently not. I look at the menu on my phone again, it said potato fries or rice. Given that I missed this, and thanks to our waiter who didn’t bother informing us, we ended up with a very dry sizzle-less sizzler. Both the croquettes and sauce were bland and tasteless. None of my friends even wanted to give it a try. The only saving graces were the sautéed vegetables and the fries. Disappointment.

At around the same time, the repeat of Devil’s White frappes landed on our table but without the whipped cream. Curious, we called for the waiter, and he then informed us that they were out of whipped cream, and so they added a scoop of ice cream. Before we could ask him why he didn’t inform us of this earlier, he disappeared.

Coffee Cup - Four Cheese Pizza

In a while, our last order, the four cheese pizza was served. One would expect a good amount of cheese on the pizza, but to our surprise, this was napoleon sauce with a few dollops of mozzarella, cheddar, Emmental, and parmesan. The crust was soggy and all we could taste was the tomato sauce. Another disappointment.

So what started off as a good meal ended up being a mediocre one.  On food front, some of the items were good, but what I realized is that they lacked consistency. The first batch of appetizers had flavor while the second batch were totally bland. Same with the coffee as well. And the mediocre sizzler and four cheese pizza didn’t help. 

Apart from the food, the service once we moved inside was pathetic, and that kinda ruined the overall experience for me at least. It’s a nice place to hangout, yes, so I can understand why it’s so popular, but for me, not worth the hype. They were having an off day maybe? 

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 6: Rs. 3989/-

Verdict: 7.5/10

Coffee Cup Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Serafina | Restaurant Review

Place: Serafina
Location: SLN Terminus, Gachibowli – Kondapur Road
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: Dinner (with wifey)

Serafina is an international chain of Italian restaurants with more than 30 outlets in seven countries, and comes as a new addition to the already packed Italian gourmet space in Hyderabad. Located on the third level of the newly constructed SLN Terminus mall near Kondapur, the restaurant has perfect ambiance for a night with family or friends. I dropped in with wifey for a tasting session a couple of weeks ago, and we settled at a cozy table on the outdoor seating area overseeing the bustling Friday traffic.

Having just returned from a trip from Italy, their menu looked very familiar. There were a number of options to choose from, and the greedy foodie in me wanted to try a bit of everything. So we asked the on-floor manager to bring us small portions of their best offerings.

We were to start with a small portion of the tomato, basil and mozzarella antipasti and their D. Chopra salad, which I read is named as tribute to author Deepak Chopra who happens to be a regular at their NY outlet. While we were waiting for the traditional first course, the bread basket was placed on our table.

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Served along with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar in a grape cruet, their breads very fresh and irresistibly soft. I gulped down three pieces even before I realized so.

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The antipasti and insalate looked very appetizing. The mozzarella was fresh and went along with tomato and basil; and the D. Chopra salad which had mixed greens, pears, cherry tomatoes, corn, asparagus, and walnuts salad with lemon vinaigrette dressing was alright. As appetizing as it looked, these proved that I’m not a ghaas-phoos salad eating guy!

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To go along with our meal, we ordered a Virgin Pina colada and an Orange Mojito. The Pina colada was creamy, coconutty and just perfect, and the Mojito was not bad either. Forget wine, these drinks kept us satisfied.

Ordering the main-course was the tricky part; all of their pizza’s seemed interesting, and I honestly wanted a piece of everything. We finally asked for the Al Porcini pizza, Tagliolini di Portofino and Lasagne. The Manager suggested we also try the Paglia e Fieno pasta, and we obliged.

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They couldn’t do a small version of the pizza, so we got the full size one and it looked yum. The crust was perfectly baked, and the cream sauce was finger licking good. I would have preferred a little more flavouring; thankfully we had oregano and chilli flakes were at our disposal. Good stuff!

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Next came the home-made Tagliolini in pesto sauce and this tasted equally delicious. The pesto sauce was strong and creamy, and the pine nuts added nice crunch.

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The Lasagne was a little disappointing compared to the meal so far, for the sauce was too thin and there was too much eggplant. We couldn’t taste anything but for the eggplant, not even the cheese.

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The recommended Fettuccine pasta didn’t really live up to our expectations either. It was a little too dry and not something I’d try again.

And then, it was time for the desserts; we asked for a Chocolate Mousse while the Manager recommended the Tiramisu.

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The mousse turned out to be excellent; it was as good as it could get. Creamy, chocolaty yet subtle. The white chocolate wafer was yum. Toothsome!

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Their Tiramisu came without liquor, and while it tasted alright, I wasn’t really happy for the mascarpone cheese didn’t really feel perfect. I’ve just tasted the best Tiramisu at its origins, that’s probably the reason why I couldn’t relish this so much.

Overall, a good meal with the pizza and the mousse being clear winners. They could add more variety to their starters for there wasn’t anything more than bread or cheese. While the authenticity is being maintained, I’m guessing not many folks would appreciate it for what finally matters along with the food taste is the pricing. While they are more or less spot-on on the taste front, the exorbitant pricing is something one needs to get used to (a single item on their menu could cost you thousand bucks!). Nevertheless, it definitely deserves a visit; perfect ambiance, courteous service and good food is what awaits you here.

Food: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Meal for 2: N/A (it’s expensive!)

Verdict: 8.5/10

Serafina Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Little Italy | Restaurant Review

Place: Little Italy
Location: BK Towers, Opp. Cyber Pearl, Hitech City
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: Lunch

I’ve been wanting to drop into Little Italy at Hitech City for a long time but never found the right occasion. I didn’t need an excuse on my Birthday, and finally, here I was. This restaurant looked much more brighter than the one in Jubilee Hills, and I settled down in a corner all by myself.

They had a decent buffet spread with a salads, breads, and a variety of sauces. This was in addition to the soup, a couple of starters, a small pizza, pasta, and the complimentary drinks being served on the table. They also had a live crepe counter apart from the regular desserts.

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For soup, they had Zuppa Di Cipolle, a clear soup with spring onions and croutons. This turned out to be decent and was a good start to the meal.

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Tacos were served next which were amazingly yummy. They definitely were among the best part of the meal.

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Baby-corn Fritters turned out to be disappointing for they lacked flavour and tasted very bland. There was also Fungi Trifolati, which was delicious.

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Almost everything on the buffet spread tasted good.

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I asked for a Sicilian Pizza, which turned out to be great. The Pasta Barbaresca was equally delicious.

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The crepe, and the deserts were decent enough.

Overall, it turned out to be a pretty good meal. While the buffet had options, it was nothing spectacular, and I think I’d prefer À-la-carte next time around. Nevertheless, the buffet is a worthwhile meal.

Food: 8.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 640/-

Verdict: 8/10

Eagle Boys Pizza | Restaurant Review

Place: Eagle Boys Pizza
Location: Begumpet Circle
Cuisine: Pizza
Meal: Dinner (with my aunt)

Eagle Boys opened in Hyderabad with quite a bang; their one+one offer in the first month of launch made them quite popular in a short period of time. I dropped in one evening during this period, and was pleasantly surprised to get two yum pizzas for 170 bucks. So here I was again a few days ago to try their pizza again.

I ordered for a Cheesy Garlic Scroll, a small Veg Lovers Pizza and a single portion of Veg Duet Pizza with Jalapeños and Pineapple. The moment I placed my order, thanks to the open kitchen, I could see the guy work on my pizzas, from rolling the dough to adding the toppings. I asked the Capsicum on Veg Lovers to be replaced with Olives, and he obliged courteously. I settled down in their brightly lit restaurant while the pizza was put in to the oven.

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But before the pizzas came the Cheesy Garlic Scroll. This was quite a disappointment for it neither had garlic flavour nor enough cheese to make it taste good. Something named Garlic Scroll needs to have garlic, if not excess, at least little of it.

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The Veg Lovers Pizza was served next. With tons of cheese and veggies, and a perfect crust, this turned out to be great. However, I felt that their dough could have done with a little more salt or seasoning.

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I was expecting the Veg Duet to be a plain Jane pizza with minimal toppings (for it was priced like that) but this actually turned out to be better than the other pizza. Along with cheese, jalapeños and pineapple chunks, this also had a layer of cream sauce which made it taste exceptionally good. My aunt liked this better as well. Yummilicious!

Overall, apart from the appetizer, the pizzas were yum. I loved the Duet pizza, and thought it was a steal for the price. While food is good, they need to improve on their service for everything from the order taking to the serving seemed chaotic. Nevertheless, their pizzas a worth a try.

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 6/10
Ambience: 7/10
Meal for 2: ~ Rs. 350/-

Verdict: 8/10

Olive Bistro | Restaurant Review

Place: Olive Bistro
Location: Near Ambedkar University, Jubilee Hills
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: Lunch (with few foodie friends)

About a month ago, was called upon by a few foodie friends for a tasting session at Olive Bistro. Though I visited the restaurant pretty recently, decided to give it a try for it would give me an opportunity to try more dishes. On a bright afternoon, here I was with six other foodies inide the closed dining section. Ambiance wise, the place looked very bright (for the shades were pulled up), and it actually looked better than during the night-time.

We started off with drinks, and I asked for Peach & Apricot Milkshake. A while later I also ordered for a Litchi Iced Tea.

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Peach & Apricot Milkshake

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Litchi Iced Tea

The milkshake was creamy and the flavour was perfect. While it was a little too sweet for my liking, it was still a great shake. The Litchi Iced Tea was absolutely perfect and one of the best iced tea I’ve ever had.

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Mushroom Soup

Next I asked for the Mushroom Soup. This again was very thick and creamy, and tasted excellent. I loved the strong mushroom flavour.

While other foodie friends ordered a lot of meat starters, I asked for Veg. Pizza Pockets (Panzarotti) and Saffron Arancini.

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Veg. Pizza Pockets

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Saffron Arancini

It is well-known that the service at Olive Bistro is slow, but the fact that it took close to an hour for these to be served was quite disappointing. Furthering adding to my misery (and hunger), neither of them tasted any good; the Pizza Pockets had barely any filling in them with no sight of cheese, while the Arancini stuffing seemed uncooked. I was really hungry and craving for food and that was the only reason I gulped them without any qualms.

Everyone at the table wanted to try The All Veg on a Thin Crust pizza, so.

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
The All Veg Pizza on a Thin Crust

The pizza was served in reasonable time (surprisingly) and was bigger than what was served the last time I was here. While the crust was neat, I was not really satisfied with the pizza for it tasted pretty bland and there was barely any cheese.

For the main course, I ordered Roast Almond & Creamed Spinach Ravioli.

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Roasted Almost & Creamed Spinach Ravioli

For some reason I was expecting this to be served in a creamy sauce, but it was in fact served in a dry tomato sauce. While it tasted alright, the ravioli stuffing was also pretty dry and I could neither taste the almonds nor the creamed spinach. Not the best ravioli.

To finish the meal, on recommendation, I ordered for OB Signature Profiteroles.

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
OB Signature Profiteroles

While Profiteroles were not something I would have ordered in general (for I would have preferred something more creamy), these tasted pretty good and crunchy.

Overall, while few items tasted good, it wasn’t a great meal altogether. I was more or less disappointed with the starters and the main course items, so it actually a disappointing meal. To add to that, the service was pathetic. If I were paying for the meal (not a tasting session), I would have probably stormed out of the place for such lethargic service. The restaurant might have a huge fan following and tons of regular customers, but it can definitely count me out of that list for I don’t think I’d be coming back to this place in the near future again even if it is a tasting session.

Food: 7/10
Service: 5.5/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Meal for 1: N/A

Verdict: 7/10

Olive Bistro | Restaurant Review

Place: Olive Bistro
Location: Near Ambedkar University, Jubilee Hills
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: Dinner (with a friend)

Olive Bistro has been on my to-go list for a long time now, but there’s never been an occasion to do so. Come Hyderabad Gourmet Week, I finally got the opportunity to visit this place along with a friend. Their special menu looked good and was priced reasonably, so here we were. Our automated reservation was for 7:00 PM on a Sunday evening, but I called and changed it to 9:00 PM. We landed a little early, and were led to a table with my name card, in the closed section of the restaurant without any fuss. The interiors of this section were pretty neat, and the ambiance outside seemed nice (I didn’t explore much).

As part of the Gourmet meal, we were to choose for a starter, main course and a dessert from a fixed list. My friend asked for Farm House Minestrone Soup, Spinach, Olive, Sun-dried Tomato, Corn & Feta Pizza, and Olive’s Signature Bread & Butter Pudding, and I ordered for Cottage Cheese Skewer, Mushroom Fricassee, and Coconut & White Chocolate Panacotta.

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Farm House Minestrone

The Minestrone Soup was served in about 10 minutes and tasted pretty good. It was thick, tomatoey and had strong Basil flavour.

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Cottage Cheese Skewers

I know that ordering Cottage Cheese Skewers at an Italian restaurant is a crime, but there was no better alternative on the list. Four chunks of marinated cottage cheese were served along with garlic sauce, and while the sauce was yummy, the paneer didn’t really taste great. If it weren’t for the sauce, I don’t think I’d even consider eating them.

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Mushroom Fricassee

The Mushroom Fricassee was served a while later, and it looked pretty good. On taste front, it was an absolute delight and exactly the way I wanted it to be – creamy, with tons of mushroom, again with a touch of basil. The sauce though could have been little more thicker.

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Spinach, Olive.. Pizza

The pizza, which was served after ages, tasted pretty good. However, I thought the crust was too thin, and I would also have preferred more Feta.

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Bread & Butter Pudding

It took another forever for the desserts to be served, and both of them looked mouth-watering good. The pudding, though a little too sweet for my liking, tasted really good along with the peaches and cream.

Olive Bistro Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Coconut and White Chocolate Panacotta

The panacotta tasted absolutely delicious. The coconut flavour was very subtle, and the Mango Jelly served along was perfect.

Overall, it was a pretty good meal. Apart from my starter, everything else tasted decent. However, but for the desserts, nothing was exceptional. And while the ambiance is decent, the service was terribly slow, and I had to keep calling for the stewards over and over even to get some water. For the price you’re paying, you kinda expect everything to be perfect, and that’s where I was disappointed. Nevertheless, if you are willing to excuse such service lapses and have the money to spend, then Olive Bistro could be on your Italian fine dine list.

Food: 8/10
Service: 6/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 1600/- (Gourmet week promotional meal)

Verdict: 8/10

Mozza | Restaurant Review

Place: Mozza
Location: Opp. Krishe Sapphire, Madhapur
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: Lunch

I’d heard quite a bit about this new Italian restaurant in town and wanted to give it a try for a while now. I finally got my chance thanks to a foodie meet. Mozza is a small place in the same building as Veggies 365 (now closed). It’s got nice interiors, and has decent ambiance. I made myself comfortable at a corner table with fellow foodies.

Like with most foodie meets, there was a special menu for the day. Off a list, we were to choose for a starter, pizza, pasta, dessert and a soft drink. For starters, the listed options were Baby Potatoes in Parmesan sauce and Stuffed Mushrooms. I chose for the latter.

Mozza Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Baby Potatoes in Parmesan Sauce

I had a taste of the potatoes, and they were pretty good. I would have preferred the potatoes to be little more parboiled, but nevertheless, the sauce was creamy and it was a good start to the meal.

Mozza Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Stuffed Mushrooms

The Stuffed Mushrooms looked yum and tasted yum for there were stuffed with cheese and were fried perfectly.

For the pizza, we had the option of Sicily-pesto sauce based and Imperia. I chose the pesto pizza while my fellow vegetarian foodie chose Imperia, so that we could share.

Mozza Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Sicily-Pesto Pizza

The Pesto pizza had sun dried tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, olives and peppers. I had asked for the pizza sans peppers, but given the foodie rush, I got one with them. The pizza was pretty good and cheesy, but there was too much pesto sauce on the base which dominated over the veggies and cheese. That apart, a decent pizza.

Mozza Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Imperia Pizza

The Imperia pizza had a mix of peri-peri vegetables and looked quite colourful. While it tasted good, this too had too much tomato base which was overwhelming.

Mozza Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Alfredo Pasta

For Pasta, we had a choice of Alfredo and Paprika, and most (like me) chose Alfredo. This happened to be the only disappointment of the meal for the pasta was very dry and lacked flavor.

Mozza Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi
Lemon Cake

Mozza Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi
No Flow Choco Lava Cake

For desserts, there were Lemon Cake and No Flow Choco Lava Cake. The Lemon Cake tasted pretty good, and so did the Choco Lava cake. I actually liked the latter better.

Overall, a good meal. But for the pasta, everything else turned out to be decent, Stuffed Mushrooms being the winner. Service was alright and so was the ambiance. Compared to other places, everything is reasonably priced. So give it a shot if you haven’t yet.

Food: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 350/-

Verdict: 7.5/10

Ci Gusta | Restaurant Review

Place: Ci Gusta 
Location: Kavuri Hills, Madhapur
Cuisine: Italian, Desserts
Meal: Lunch

As part of a foodie meet, dropped into this place last Sunday. Ci Gusta happens to be more of a dessert place also serving Italian food. Walking in, I thought the place was brightly lit and very nicely done. As part of our special meal, we were to start with frozen yogurt, head for starters and main course along with a drink, and finish with gelato and some more frozen yogurt. This was to be quite a meal!!

For Froyo, they had self-serve charged by weight dispensers right at the entrance. This was the first time I came across a self-serve dispenser in India, and was pretty impressed. After trying out all the available flavors, I opted for Forest Berry and Mango combo, topped with some nuts and Blueberry sauce.

Ci Gusta Restaurant Review
Froyo

I loved the Forest Berry the most of the lot for it had a very distinct flavor. The Mango also tasted pretty good but it wasn’t the best.

Ci Gusta Restaurant Review
Tossed Potato Wedges

For starters, we were served with Chef’s special dishes: Potato Wedges and a some kinda Chicken starter. The wedges were tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce which gave them a nice flavor. I would have preferred them to be served with some kinda dips to add more taste.

We had to choose either for a Pizza or Pasta, and I chose for the latter: Ci Gusta Di Mafia, a creamy rich sauce pasta with tomato, garlic and broccoli.

Ci Gusta Restaurant Review
Ci Gusta Di Mafia Pasta

I choose this pasta is for the cream, and to my disappointment, I found the sauce very thin with barely any cream. While it had nice flavor, a thicker sauce would have worked wonders. I would have also preferred more veggies.

Ci Gusta Restaurant Review
Litchi Shake

For the drink, I opted for a Litchi shake which turned out to be pretty good.

Ci Gusta Restaurant Review
Gelato

Back to the desserts now. From a range of gelato, after tasting quite a few, I finally picked pannacotta flavoured gelato which turned out to be pretty yum!

Ci Gusta Restaurant Review
Caffetine

And finally, to finish off the meal, we were to choose for Parfait of Caffetine. While Parfait was fruit flavoured frozen yogurt, Caffetine (I hope I’m spelling it right) turned out to be a coffee flavoured one. It was more creamy than the dispenser froyo, and the espresso shot gave it nice taste. It was good finish to the meal.

Overall, it was a decent affair. While I wasn’t really satisfied with the main course, all the desserts turned out to be pretty good. Though ambiance is good, the service needs to be improved upon quite a bit. On price front (in general), everything is on the higher side. I believe that quality of food needs to be improved by quite a notch for them to be worth the price. Also, while the desserts were good, nothing really left me in awe. Bottom line, I’m probably gonna go back for the desserts, but not for the food.

Food: 8/10
Service: 5/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 350/- (As part of a deal)

Verdict: 7.5/10