Friday, December 31, 2010

Xmas Goodness at La Terrazza

Cold cuts at La Terrazza PuneI had recently written about the terrific home-style Italian food at La Terrazza. Housed within the newly opened Hyatt Regency Pune, this place is a must for lovers of Italian food. Helmed by a good-natured Italian chef, La Terrazza takes pride in its hand-made pastas, wood-fired pizzas and other delights served in the informal settings of an Italian trattoria. I was here again on Christmas eve with my family, and the special menu they had crafted for this night made the experience memorable.

As we entered, my daughter was delighted with her close encounter with Santa! It wasn't too crowded yet, but as the evening progressed the restaurant got much busier. We settled down, selected a bottle of wine and ordered a platter of cold cuts before starting off with the prix fixe menu.

La Terrazza Pune
Santa at La Terrazza PuneThe first course from the Xmas menu was a soup: Cappalletti with chicken consomme. The little packets of meat filled pasta were delightful in the richly flavored clear soup. As we sipped our soups, two young girls in Christmas costumes came in singing Christmas carols. They even came up to our table to sing Jingle Bells with our little one!

Breads at La Terrazza Pune
Cappalletti Soup at La Terrazza Pune
Xmas carols at La Terrazza PuneThen came the Crusted Portobello with fresh herbs and garden salad. The dish looked like an Indian tikki, but there was no mistaking the Italian ancestry of this dish. The earthiness of the mushroom combined well with the herbs on the palate.

Crusted Portobello mushroom at La Terrazza PuneThe pappardelle pasta came next. Liberally covered with lamb Bolognese, the large, broad pasta was a delight to taste. Pasta comes in many forms. However, like good bread, good pasta is not easily available. I am glad to report, the pasta here is top notch. Also, the pappardelle is a variety I have never had until I ate at this restaurant. Loved it!

Pappardelle Pasta at La Terrazza PuneThe pan roasted breast of Duck was served on a bed of braised cabbage and potato with port sauce. I enjoyed the contrasting flavors and textures of this dish, though the wife wasn't as impressed.

Duck at La Terrazza PuneA selection of Italian hard cheeses came next. Served on a wooden platter with home-made marmalade, it gave us time to lazily finish our wine as we relished the special evening.

Italian cheese at La Terrazza PuneFinally, we gave attention to our dessert: a winter berry sabayon with almond sable. The foamy mixture over tangy berries were an interesting end to this sumptuous Xmas dining experience.

Winter berry Sabayon at La Terrazza PunePune foodies have been spoilt for choice with so many new hotels and restaurants. When I compare the Westin, the Marriott and the Hyatt in Pune, I think the Hyatt clearly has an edge with its superior service quality. Westin probably lacks the most in this area.

La Terrazza is located within the Hyatt Regency, Pune in Weikfield IT Park in Viman Nagar (right on Nagar Road).

With that, I guess I have penned my last post of this decade. See you in the next one! May the new one be full of fun and frolic for you. May you also travel to intersting lands and fill your plates with the most exciting of dishes. Happy New Year!

PS: My preview review of La Terrazza is posted here.

5 comments:

Trotter said...

Hi Shantanu! Have a Happy and Successful New Year!! Wish you all the best!!
Long time no see... Horus and Sobek wait for you at Kom Ombo… ;)
Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

I tried lamb shank at Hyatt and Itried the same at Marriot - Senapati bapat road. The one at Marriot was superlative as compared to hyatt.

Hyatt - italian was a let down for me personally. Although their outdoor ambience is really romantic with mist swirling all around you.

kyh said...

Oh that fluffy loaf! Looks absolutely fab! Hard cheeses, I've never tried them. Cant seem to find them here.

Happy new year, my friend! :))

Limesh said...

Alto Vino and La Terraza serve superlative and authentic Italian food. Those pizza and risottos are one of the best around. Ambience and choice of wine is much more at Alto Vino. But La Terraza comes close to the food served in emilia romania and with his personal touch Luca food scores a notch higher.

Shantanu said...

@Trotter: Thank you! Will visit your blog soon. Good to see you here.

@Anon: Thank you for your inputs.

@kyh: I love them all: hard as well as the runny ones. :)

@Limesh: Haven't visited Alto Vino yet. Thanks for your views.