Checked out a delightful restaurant called Baci in Sunder Nagar market. We went as a family, for my mother-in-law's birthday. Earlier we spent the day deliberating which restaurant to go to - we wanted to go to a nice Italian place - but not in a five-star hotel (my husband cringes at the extortionate prices for no-additional-value that they charge) - and the other restaurants that are commonly thought of in that category, Diva and Kasbah, were done. So I set out to explore the options with my trusty Google and found out about Baci. Its so well hidden - trying so hard to keep us riffraff out, that I could only find one little article, mentioning its Italian perfectionist chef, and one oblique mention to it in relation of a wine-tasting event that took place there. But thats all I needed to know.
Getting there, the friendly staff showed us our options for tables - there is a cafe-like ground floor, a bistro-like first floor, and to our surprise and delight an empty second floor with a big balcony. We got the floor and a waiter all to ourselves. They have a great drink list, including some innovative non-alcoholic drinks, but I settled on the sangria. Best ever in India. The fruit was chopped very fine, included citrus peels that had been marinated for a long time, and the result was sublime. The bread platter was fantastic and it was refilled diligently.
As appetizers we decided to try the soups - being vegetarian, the options were the minestrone and the special of a day - a pea soup. The minestrone was a disappointment - perhaps they were trying to go minimalist, to highlight the tastes of the vegetables and stay true to the original minestrones, but we just didn't enjoy it - a few more herbs, a little seasoning would have gone a long way to improve what was essentially boiled vegetables in their stock. The pea soup, on the other hand, had a rich texture and a wholly fulfilling flavor, with boisterous overtones of garlic and onions - it would have worked as a satisfying meal in itself.
Then the main courses arrived - we had ordered one each, thinking that the portions would be spartan, as is the case in the nicest restaurants. However, they were quite substantial. We shared all the dishes, Indian-family-style, and were full with just three. The last dish, a camembert souffle, would have been magnificent had it not arrived a bit late, when we were all completely sated. The few bites that we stuffed in were creamy and rich and complemented the mushrooms that were served along with it very well. The other dishes, a ravioli, crepes, and gnocchi were all excellent, though the gnocchi won particular acclaim with our group.
Wish that we had saved room for dessert. Definitely will return.
