A few months ago, I visited a dear friend of mine, Tanvi, in New Delhi. It was a short visit, just a long weekend but a heavenly three days for my taste buds! We are both foodies, so it was only natural that every meal she planned for me was one to remember. From her home-cooked rajma and laccha parathas to dining on fine Italian, each dish was perfect and one that I simply must share with you all!
Quinoa burger:
Quinoa. My lesson started from the right pronounciation, it's "keen-wah", folks! Tanvi brought out this very interesting point that non-vegetarian burgers have such protein-packed patties with all their meats. But for us vegetarians, the default option is to go for potatoes, which ends up as carbs on more carbs. And the quinoa burger addresses just that.
Her Patty was a mix of quinoa with finely chopped onions and tomatoes, some fresh green peas, mixed herbs and just a tiny bit of grated cheese (cz we just love cheese!). Set between two soft buns, her quinoa truly set the standard for the rest of the trip.
Italian fine dining at Artusi:
I owe my very first home-cooked pasta experience to Tanvi, as she cooked a white sauce fusilli for me on my first visit to her home while we were at college. My only reference was the Domino's white sauce pasta and hers beat it in every way. Recognizing a master, I took my first lessons in pasta making from her. And that was my specialty that I would win praise for, at every dinner I threw for friends.
So, cut to 2017 and Tanvi wanted to take me out for dinner. With rains messing her plans of dinner at San Gimignano, she decided to take me to her second favourite Italian restaurant in the city- Artusi.
The moment I stepped in, I realized this was fine dining at its best. Romantic dim yellow lighting, extremely courteous waiters that pull the chiar for you, carefully decorated interiors- I remember thinking that it struck me as a perfect spot for a proposal, what with violins in the background and all!! :D (Of course there weren't any, just felt it would fit in well enough!) All of this had already set high expectations from the food and it was surely met.
The starters and even the Italian coffee, that I hoped would be mind-blowing, were passable. But the other dishes were quite memorable. We ordered cheese baskets and I was quite surprised when they served little baskets literally made out of fried cheese.
But the best dishes were the mushrooms with Brie cheese and the Ravioli. They served slices of bread with sautéed and spiced mushrooms, and a block of this wonderful soft cheese. It was my first time tasting Brie cheese and I am sure it is the best among all cheeses! I just fell in love with it! And I hope you try it someday, you'll know what I mean.
The Ravioli, which is foodspeak for stuffed pasta, was also delightful in that it had a subtle spice to it. One that I couldn't put my finger on if I tried to focus on the flavour but so enjoyable in its entirety.
And if I thought it just couldn't get better than this, I knew nothing about Tanvi. For Day Two took food from a meal to an experience in itself!
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