Take a piece off an Italian street, sprinkle in some love, oodles of hard work and passion and some breath-taking paintings, and place it in a plush Gurgaon mall and you get Cafe Amaretto. The gorgeous one month old cafe doubles up as an art gallery where the paintings donning the cafe walls can be bought if you have your heart set on it. The white textures walls and brown paper mats, cruets and an aromatic candle on each table add on to the decor.
Over some wonderful conversations, we sampled their five course meal with smaller portions, plated to perfection.
We started our meal with a freshly baked basket of focaccia bread – the aroma of the fresh bake topped with garlic was enough to tinkle our already grumbling tummies.
Our first course started with an assortment of multigrain bruschettas – topped with feta cheese and tomatoes, smoked roasted pepper and flavorsome caponata on a biscuity, fresh Italian bread.
The chicken crispers came with mayonnaise with a punch of mustard. The chicken could have been a little more juicy.
Green Apple, Beetroot and Rocket leaves salad with feta cheese, honey and balsamic vinegar. The amalgamation of honey and balsamic vinegar made for truly refreshing flavors.
Soup shot – mushroom cappuccino with a parmesan crispy. A hot, frothy shot of mushroom cappuccino with a thin crisp piece of parmesan cheese.
Artichokes and ham thin crust pizza – hand tossed, wood fired pizza with fresh artichokes, ham chunks and fresh cheese. A soft, authentic Italian crust, the sauce could have packed more flavors to make the pie from good enough to exemplary.
Coming to the main course – Wood fired roasted pumpkin risotto with chestnut and parmesan crispy. Rich and creamy sprinkled over with freshly grated parmesan cheese was very tantalizing.
Sole with roasted cherry tomatoes and capers – a piece of lightly seasoned sole with roasted cherry tomatoes and crunchy vegetables. Add on a dash of lemon zest or enjoy it as it is.
Amaretto’s wood roasted chicken with zucchini tempura and black pepper mushroom sauce – one of the best seller’s of the cafe and rightly so. The well marinated chicken breast smeared over with palatable black pepper and mushroom sauce was simply divine. Accompanied by mashed potatoes and crispy zucchini, this is a not to be missed dish.
With rounded bellies and satiated appetites, we rounded up the savory dinner with Amaretto’s dessert platter – salted caramel cake, tiramisu and ricotta cheese cake. The desserts too had a freshness in the palate like no other. My favorite was the salted caramel cake.
Why Cafe Amaretto? Their laid back ambiance, beautifully relaxing music and some of the best Italian affair you will find in town. Don’t miss out of their fresh bakes and their appetizing mains and of course the desserts. My favorites – the bruschetta, risotto, sole, chicken breast and I can’t stop raving about the salted caramel cake.