Quattro Mani, the Second Edition Italian Food Festival at Alto Vino-Bengaluru Marriott Hotel, Whitefield

Bangalore is the hub for global cuisines and one of the top cuisines on my list will be always Italian. What happens when two Chefs from North Italy and South Italy meets in Namma Ooru? They will cook up a storm for epicurean diners. Recently this is what happened when I visited Alto-Vino at Bengaluru Marriott Hotel, Whitefield for the second edition of ‘Quattro Mani’- a 10-day long Italian Food Festival (July 4- 14^th). This festival is all about the special Italian menu curated by Alto Vino’s Chef Marouane Rahali and visiting Chef Nicola Costa which brings together the flavors from South and the North Italy. To make it more special there are selected wines by Wine Sommelier Anushka Padkar from Wine Park.

 

Venice <3

This was my first time at Alto Vino and absolutely loved everything about this place. Beautiful ambiance, carefully crafted menu, exclusive wine selection, top-notch hospitality and best Chefs in town are some of the highlights about Marriott hotels. These highlights make Alto Vino no different than the other Marriott Hotels in Bangalore.

The Chef Marouane Rahali and Chef Nicola Costa gave us a brief description on Quattro Mani fest and here is the menu we tried for the dinner.

We started off with slices of rustic Italian bread followed by an Amuse Bouche – Pizza Montanara.

Antipasti

Insalata di primosela – Canederli beans salad with tomato, cucumber, onion, olives, and goat cheese.

Carpaccio d’anatra affumicata, ravanelli sott’aceto, salsa al miele – Smoked cured duck breast, apple chips, pickled radish in honey dressing

Light, tasty and full of fresh ingredients; these salads were a great start to our meal. I liked the crispy apple chips and smoked cured duck breast combination in the second salad.

Soup

Crema di porri e patate con gnocchetti di pane e formaggio porfumo di tartufo – A dense soup made of Potato, leek soup, and brown bread cheese gnocchi Truffle Parfume. The Truffle taste and the brown bread cheese gnocchi were the best part about this soup.

Primi

Orecchiette al pomodori fresco, mozzarella di bufala (not in pic) – A South Italian Homemade Pasta - Orecchiette with fresh tomato, and buffalo mozzarella was a satisfactory meal for vegetarians. I tasted it while waiting for the Lobster Ravioli and loved the flavors.

Tortelli di Astice, Crema di Zucchini e basilica – beautiful and handmade ravioli stuffed with Lobster in basil and zucchini cream can steal any seafood lover’s heart. All of us loved it.

Secondi

Marinated Beef Tenderloin pistachio crust, potato cream, and asparagus –  This dish was my favorite. Medium Beef tenderloin with crunchy pistachio crust served with a potato cream base and asparagus – OMG! Where was I for a while? In heaven? I guess so :P

For those who don’t prefer beef, there is a lamb version of this dish and for vegetarians, they’ve the ‘Grilled Eggplant stuffed with Mozzarella, olives and tomato, rocket and Parmesan cheese’.

I couldn’t try the Branzino e riso venere which was beautifully made and plated Seabass fillet with black rice, olives, and green peas coulis. I skipped tasting this to save some space in my tummy for desserts.

Dolci

Dolci word itself sounds so interesting. For Dolci (desserts) we tried Sfogliatella Napoletana – a traditional Napoletan pastry stuffed with ricotta and custard cream. Chef Nicola’s special dessert made us say ‘Wow!’.

Tiramisu Rivisitato – The moment I tasted it I felt like I was having a double espresso coffee shot. Tiramisu was so blissful. Chef Marouane has used an Espuma gun to infuse Mousse type foam (air) in this dessert; a very avant- garde technique used in most of the modern restaurant kitchens nowadays.

Wines we tried

Bibi Graetz is considered as one of Italy's most ingenious winemakers who has risen from artist to cult winemaker since the release of his first wine back in 2000. We paired the following wines with Italian food –

Bibi Graetz Casamatta Bianco

Origin: Tuscany

Grape(s) used: Vermentino, Trebbiano & Moscato

"Casamatta," or "crazy house," is Bibi Graetz's creation of a Tuscan-style house wine.

Tasting Notes: Floral, citrus and tropical fruit aromas and flavors pick up a hint of orange blossom, honeysuckle, and lime. Rich, tangy acidity, dry, moderate length.

Bibi Graetz Casamatta Rosso

Origin: Tuscany

Grape(s) used: Sangiovese

Tasting notes: A medium bodied red, sporting jammy cherry, herb and sweet spice aromas and flavors. Fruity, appealing, with moderate length.

Tenuta Sant Antonio Scaia Corvina (2014)

Origin: Veneto

Grape(s) used: Corvina

Tasting notes: Floral notes of red rose and sweet violet, fruity hints of cherry, wild black cherry, plum, fruits of the forest such as blackberry, redcurrant, blackcurrant, and raspberry. Well-balanced, flavorsome and fresh wine. Intense and medium bodied despite its youth.

All the wines were so intense and smooth in taste and went well with all the Italian food.

Chefs were so devoted and they kept on checking the feedback for each and every dish which came to our table. Though most of the dish names were like tongue-twisters, I had a great time savoring some incredible Italian dishes along with some classic Italian wines. If you love Italian food, then don’t miss this fest. The festival is on till 14^th July. A meal for two would be ₹3,000/- (approximately).

About Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is the world’s largest hotel company based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, with over 6,100 properties in more than 124 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts. The company’s 30 leading brands include: Bulgari®, The Ritz-Carlton® and The Ritz-Carlton Reserve®, St. Regis®, W®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, The Luxury Collection®, Marriott Hotels®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Renaissance® Hotels, Sheraton®, Delta Hotels by MarriottSM, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Tribute Portfolio™, Design Hotels™, Gaylord Hotels®, Courtyard®, Four Points® by Sheraton, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, Residence Inn®, TownePlace Suites®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Aloft®, Element®, Moxy® Hotels, and Protea Hotels by Marriott®. The company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com and @MarriottIntl.

Address:

Alto Vino

Bengaluru Marriott Hotel

EPIP Zone, Whitefield

Bengaluru

For more information and bookings, contact  080 49435000

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