Eating out of Italy's hands

Food, like fashion, has seasons and the flavour of summer 2006 in India is Italian food.

The afternoon is turning out to be interesting. Some "GK-type" girls on the table next to me are discussing their acne woes, socialite types (with the best, window-facing seats in the restaurant) have just about exchanged their "mwah-mwahs" and are now probably exchanging notes on hairstylists, some lazy touristy types (in hawai chappals) are settling in, a trifle bewildered.

And me? I am just people-watching, soaking in this relaxed but animated setting and making a mental note of how this is all so very different from the dull quiet of shushed conversations at five-star restaurants. Then Andrea "Aftab" (that's his Indian name, he says) Pauro walks in and our motley mix becomes even more animated.

The GK girls giggle as he stops by to chat with them and quite volubly decide that he's "cute", still others practise their newly acquired Italian language skills, and I decide to quiz the man on the excellent mozzarella he has managed to source locally for our starter... But we are getting ahead of our story.

Food, like fashion, has seasons. And not just in the obvious way "" tori in summer, spinach in winter. Instead, as new eateries continue to come up, what each season also sees is the emergence of a distinct trend in terms of cuisine preferred as well as the emergence of at least one restaurant that becomes quite the talking point in any given city "" at least in the elitist consumerist circles that matter.

This summer, the fad seems to be Italian. And the latest restaurant to be creating quite a buzz in Delhi is a new standalone, Baci. No, nothing to do with Bacchus, god of liquor and the "underworld", inspirer of pub names. Baci is certainly no drinking hole "" it doesn't even have a liquor licence yet.

Instead, the name translates, quite simply, to mean "kisses". Apart from Andrea, the part-Italian, part-Indian owner, this centrally located restaurant (it's in the Sunder Nagar market) also offers a rather well-put together menu. Do try the excellent grilled prawns for the main course (accompanied by mashed potatoes) even though Baci is hardly value for money.

It is quite pricey, in fact, at an average of Rs 1,000 per person for just two courses "" and a frankly average antipasti selection at that. On the other hand, what Baci does is fill the gap between five-star dining and places like the Big Chill Cafe and that is quite a welcome change, especially if you've tired of Diva.

In Mumbai too the flavour is Italian what with Monza, "Bar, Kitchen, Lounge and Wine Boutique" throwing open its doors at Phoenix Mills. A huge number of wines (there are 150 apparently on the list) and wine accessories complement the experience.

And there's an imaginative menu "" crepes stuffed with wasabi flavoured cottage cheese and oregano-rubbed grilled chicken. The decor is modern and woody and the owners have also opened a nightclub-cum-courtyard cafe next door. What's more, at Rs 800 for two, dining here is a lot cheaper than in Delhi.

While most of Mumbai's Italian restaurants continue to be located in hotels "" think Mezzo Mezzo, Trattoria, Frangipani "" if you are looking for a standalone experience, another place to visit could be Mangi Ferra (it gets its name from a mango tree on the premises) in Juhu.

The restaurant opened two years ago "" its celebrity clientele, Rekha, Hrithik Roshan and Sachin Tendulkar among others, ensuring that it got suitably talked about. The pizzas done in a wood-fired oven were also rated highly.

While much of that hooplah has since died, the food, we're told, remains fairly decent and this may call for a revisit. In Delhi, on the other hand, one place that strongly calls for a revisit is Azzuro at PVR Saket. Run by a talented, young Cordon Bleu-trained chef, Azzuro is one of those lovely places that remain empty for inexplicable reasons. Maybe it's just bad feng shui!

Diva apart, Tonino (on the MG Road), with its wood-fired oven, was the only mid-level Italian restaurant doing well in the capital. But several new entrants may change that. Sartoria is a new "fine-dining" restaurant in Vasant Vihar.

The owners, who apparently have interests in Bahrain and the like, were earlier successful with their "Oriental lounge" Kylin, also in the same area. The pitch at the new restaurant is, well, another wood-fired oven "" mango wood is apparently used to give pizzas a distinctive flavour!

And if you are still game enough to try more, you could go to Earth, a new Italian restaurant in Gurgaon set up by the Moet's people. The menu here has some sureshot winners, but could it be because some have been picked up from the Lodi (The Garden Restaurant) menu? Or so it is alleged. Nevertheless, don't complain that there aren't any options!