A little bit of Tuscany…

some awesome wine and a great time is what you get when you visit the restaurant Tuscany in Hyderabad’s Hotel Trident.

Having eaten there before and loved their food, I was super excited when I was asked to do a food review, when their Michelin Star Chef Adriano Baldassarre was visiting Hyderabad to do a special food festival based on the theme – Regions of Italy.

Yes, it was really a little bit of Tuscany there, what with some great vegetarian food served along with wonderful wine, enhancing the whole experience. The music was soft, making it possible for us to have a good conversation with Ms.Rajveer Kaur, their Communications Manager and Ms.Aadishree Chury, the Restaurant Manager for Tuscany, both women very knowledgeable about the food they like and serve.

Every meal in Tuscany is served with some freshly baked Focaccia bread, which goes extremely well with the olive oil served at the table.

We started our meal with the vegetarian appetizers - Asparagus and teleggio cannolo with emulsified ricotta and chives and vegetable fritters served with a very flavorful marinara-ish sauce. The emulsified ricotta was quite a revelation, which I am going to try for sure. The asparagus was tender , and had soaked the flavors well.

We paired the appetizers and the focaccia with two wines that were suggested to us by Mr.Vamshi Reddy, Beverage Manager of the restaurant. Pater , the red wine, and Sutter Home, the white wine were excellent with the dishes, adding to the flavor. I am particularly in love with Pater, which I am told is also retailed in Hyderabad. Yippee! :)

I am sure Pumpkin soup is a favorite for many people, but this one is going to be remembered for a very long time. The temperature at which the soup was served melted the parmesan in the button , and the amaretto powder added just the amount of crunch. It was as hearty as it comes.

We were then served Puttanesca Ravioli, one of Chef Adriano’s must-try dishes, which lived up to the expectation I had from it. [My love for Puttanesca is well-documented, and my mouth starts watering everytime I hear the mere word! To know how to make Pasta Puttanesca, read my recipe here!]

The other main dish was the Beetroot Ravioli, filled with goat cheese, ricotta and poppy seed emulsion. One bite into this ravioli, and all of us at the table went ‘mmmmmmmmmm…’. Both these dishes were best paired with Danzante, the red wine. Sexy is not a word you’d associate with wines, but I’d like to go with it, for this one. Yet again, I was delighted to know that this wine is retailed in Hyderabad. :)

The next dish on the main course was a Saffron Risotto. I am not a huge fan of any rice-based dish in any cuisine, but this one is a winner. The parmesan cheese, which seemed to have been added generously when the risotto is cooked made its mark felt, and added to the flavor of saffron and licorice, which was the other ingredient. This was served with a dry white wine, taking it to a totally different level. [Want to know how to make risotto? Try my basic risotto recipe here, Thai Green curry flavored risotto here and Raw Mango and bell pepper risotto here!]

We were served Lavender flavored Crème Brulee for dessert, which was heavenly. I am not a fan of crème brulee, because of its kinda bland and egg-ey taste. This one was none, and made me feel like I landed in Lavender scented heaven. I really hope this is served as their regular dessert, because I am so totally going to eat this one more and more in future!

Look, they make their pasta fresh. And their range of olive oils! I also caught a chef making crème brulee using the torch, which is now on my kitchen-gadget-wish-list along with the air fryer and ice-cream maker!

Some sights I saw as we were exiting the restaurant, which is now my favorite place to eat authentic Italian food in Hyderabad! :)

Notes

1. An meal for two would cost approximately Rs. 3000/-, including wine. This is from my prior experience at Tuscany, when I visited with the husband. The staff was courteous, the service was prompt, and the food was yum that time too.
2. Regions of Italy is on between 12-20th of September , 2014 in Tuscany, the Italian restaurant of Hotel Trident, Hyderabad.
3. I was invited to do a food review, so I did not have to pay for my meal. This did not influence my review in any way. The experience and opinions are entirely mine.
4. Owing to my dietary preferences, I was served only vegetarian food, which I thoroughly enjoyed. All the items I reviewed here are vegetarian, but I am sure the non-vegetarian fare is equally yummy.

Tips

1. The restaurant offers a great view of the Madhapur flyover. Ask to be seated by the window if you love to see cars swooshing by as you eat.
2. The restaurant has a brilliant soft, yellow light, making it the perfect location for some Facebook profile pictures. This also means, the restaurant is perfect if you are having a celebration of any sort.
3. This is a very classy place, with food and wine pairings et all. So if you’d wish to know which wine to pair with the food you are eating, please feel free to ask for Beverage Manager, Mr. Vamshi Reddy. Mr.Reddy is very knowledgeable in this respect, by my personal experience, and will help you through the meal with great wine options for the meals you order.
4. I am told they have some great Desi cocktails in their Indian restaurant , Kanak, which I am inclined to visit on my next trip to the hotel. If you are in the vicinity, why not visit?
5. If you, like me, are in love with olive oil, I suggest you take their complimentary olive oil tasting sessions, which is offered to all guests who dine there. This is something I intend to take on my next visit to Tuscany.

For reservations, call: +91-40-6623-2323 OR e-mail: trident.hyderabad@tridenthotels.com