26 August,2012 10:34 AM IST | | Moeena Halim
Show us sunny side up eggs and we're bound to think of George and Gary from Masterchef Australia. So when we were served the gorgeous looking Berber Omelette (Rs 250) at Otto Infinito, we couldn't wait to test the yolks.
u00a0Instead of an oozing, runny yolk, ours was dry and overdone. Even the white, a bit too golden brown at the edges, was troublesome to cut. The baked omelette had probably been left in the oven a few minutes too long. A pity, because flavour-wise it was faultless. The Moroccan tomato-based sauce it rested on was delicious.
Berber Omelette. pics/Sunil Tiwari
Otto Infinito, which means âeight to the power of infinity' in Italian, is the latest addition to Bandra Kulra Complex's Raheja Tower. The all-day dining (open from 8 am to 12.30 am) Mediterranean restaurant, from the same management as Hakkasan and Yuatcha, serves a selection from the cuisine of eight counties - France, Italy, Lebanon, Tunisia, Spain, Greece, Turkey and Morocco. Chef Massimiliano Olati, the menu consultant for Otto, promises that he's only picked stuff that he knows will suit the Indian palate. "If I picked the real stuff, no one would eat it," laughs Olati, who has spent eight years in the country.
We were served six dishes, selected for us to sample the three menus of the day - breakfast, lunch and dinner. The omelette was followed up by a Puy Lentil and Pomegranate Salad (Rs 375) and Moroccan Roast Chicken (Rs 550) - both from the dinner menu, both absolute winners. The salad was refreshing and had the perfect blend of sweet from the pomegranate seeds, peppery bitter from the watercress leaves and tanginess from the dash of sweet lime juice. The chicken, spiced and roasted to perfection with the skin left intact and served with mashed potatoes, was the hero of our meal. It's safe to say that we're going to be dreaming of the mashed potatoes (which had caramelised onions and feta cheese) for a long time.
Next up was the Truffle Tuna Carpacciao (Rs 525), a dinner-only dish, which could have done without the wafer-thin flavourless biscotti below the raw slices of tuna. To be served during both lunch and dinner, the Turkish Kebabs (Rs 450) are a main, served with pita, french fries and harissa mayonnaise. Eaten with the mayo, the lamb kebabs, made following a home-style recipe, were nice, but we wouldn't order them the next time.
Our meal concluded with the served-at-dinner-only dessert Signature Otto Chocolate and Passion Fruit Ganache with Belgium Chocolate Ice Cream. It left us with a happy smile on our faces.
There is a lot more that their menu promises (including veg goodies), from Turkish coffees to tea cocktails and paninis to freshly baked bread from their to-go menu, which we weren't able to sample. Needless to say, we will return soon for a taste. And also for the promised palm trees and al fresco dining, which they promise will be ready by tomorrow (when they open to the public).u00a0This was a preview and we cannot comment on the ambience or the service at the restaurant
