Place: Via Milano
Location: Road No. 36, Jubilee Hills
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: Lunch (with a friend)
After hearing a lot, and I mean a lot about this place, I was finally here for lunch on my birthday. We walked in into this bright restaurant, well-lit from the sunshine outside. On first look, I liked the place and the ambiance. It was quite full for a weekday and we were seated at a table for four in a corner, next to the bar. We had to move to a different one soon, for I had accidentally spilled water on the table.
We were offered a menu for the Executive Lunch, which was basically a fixed menu which included a drink, starter, an entrée and a desert. For 500 bucks (vegetarian), it seemed very reasonable, so we opted for it.
The moment we placed the order, a bread basket was served along with Olive oil, Vinegar, Chopped Tomatoes and Garlic sauce. The bread was fresh, and the garlic sauce was awesome. It was definitely the best I’ve had in recent times. Finger licking good!
For the drinks, I picked Surf Song (Pineapple juice, Lychee juice, Coconut milk, Blue Curacao) and my friend had a Winter Breeze (Cranberry juice, Melon syrup, sweet and sour). The Surf Song was served in a Margarita glass and was very good. The other drink was served in a wine glass, half filled (as much as you see in the pic). It tasted just like regular Cranberry juice, nothing great. I was very disappointed with the quantity.
For the starters we had Fried Buffalo Mozzarella and Zucchini Rolls, with a tomato sauce, and Panzarotties filled with spinach, ricotta cheese and nuts served with a spicy tomato and pesto sauce.
The cheese and zucchini rolls were very well presented. The quantity though was minimal (It was the same for the rest of the meal, so I wouldn’t mention it again). The taste though was exceptional. The cheese was very good and was melting in my mouth. They tasted great with the yummy garlic sauce.
The Panzarotties tasted very good, crunchy, and I loved the spicy sauce served along.
For the main course, it was Spaghetti in a cream and tomato sauce, with herbs and sautéed vegetables, and Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli on fresh oregano scented light tomato sauce.
The Spaghetti’s quantity was much better than the rest. It was good and had a strong tomato flavor to it. I would have preferred it to be more creamy.
The Ravioli tasted pretty much like the Panzarotties. The sauce was creamy and yum.
Finally, for deserts, we picked a Tiramisu with Italian Mascarpone cheese, Lavazza Espresso and Rum, and a White and Dark Chocolate Mousse Terrine. The Mousse was excellent. The Tiramisu was good as well, but had loads of rum in it, too strong for me.
Though I was full, unable to stop my temptation to have a pizza (since I’ve heard that these guys serve really good pizzas), ordered a Quattro Formaggi (tomato sauce and four types of Italian cheese; mozzarella, parmesan, goat cheese and gorgonzola).
After having small portions of everything, was first impressed by the size of the pizza (I am guessing it was a good 12″). The crust was good, sauce perfect, but I thought the cheese was a lil too strong. It had an after taste which was quite weird. Though I liked it, I still prefer the 100 Degrees or the Viva Italia pizza.
Overall, a sumptuous meal. I loved the concept of the executive lunch. Though the quantities could have been way better, it was good enough to make you walk out without feeling stuffed. The ambiance is great, service was pretty good as well, except that it took unusually long periods of time for the food to be served (not that we had a problem with it). I liked the way they presented their food, and the food in itself was pretty yummy. It would now be tough to choose between this place and Little Italy.
I’d suggest you give the place a try. Who knows, you might have a new favorite restaurant in town! 🙂
Food: 9/10
Service: 8.5/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 1555/- (Including the pizza)
Verdict: 9/10
