| By Sourish Bhattacharyya
Baci is Italian for 'kisses' and it deserves as many as you can plant on the cheeks of its smiling staff and talented chefs. Tucked away in a corner of Sunder Nagar Market, in an upmarket neighbourhood in Central Delhi, the city's newest Italian restaurant has already got a great buzz going about it, even though it doesn't have an alcohol licence yet, and I can tell you why.
Baci is a copybook example of how a good restaurant should be run.
You are greeted by a pretty hostess with a million-dollar smile; the food is no-fuss yet impeccably cooked and presented; the portions are generous; the service is flawless; the waiters are friendly, well-spoken, well-informed about the menu; and the music is whimsical -- it sets you in the mood for a gastronomic experience. The decor is minimalistically elegant, the glassware promises great wine evenings in the days ahead, the crockery and cutlery have been carefully chosen and the loos are spotlessly clean.
You may find the last point an odd inclusion, but I tend to judge restaurants by the loos they maintain. The quality of the loos is an indication of how the the restaurant management proposes to treat its clientele. I can't forget how my elder son vomited out his entire meal at the Yo! China outlet in Vasant Vihar after stepping into a loo that smelt like a gutter. My son, who was a Yo! China loyalist, now shudders at the mention of the name. As a result, we have to spend a fortune on family dinners now, because he refuses to step into any place other than the Maurya coffee shop or TGIF.
Our meal at Baci on a Tuesday night began with a baked Parmesan and aubergine salad -- this was something we hadn't had before, but we just loved every morsel of it. I had ordered pumpkin soup, which measured up to my idea of what to expect at a good restaurant, and then came the main course. I ordered grilled prawns with mashed potatoes and lobster-infused butter (it was a gastronomically elevating experience -- the prawns had the right crunch and tasted heavenly with the butter). My better half stuck with grilled chicken in a red wine and rosemary reduction. It's difficult to please her (it was with great difficulty that I had made her agree to going out to a restaurant that she insisted was expensive), but she kept thanking me throughout our drive back home.
Not surprisingly, even on a Tuesday night (traditionally, a slow night for the restaurant business in Delhi), the restaurant was busy. What was surprising was that expats, especially Italians, had outnumbered the locals 4:1. That's bad news for the established players, like Ritu Dalmia's Diva and Shrivant Rajgarhia's Azzurro. The good news, though, is that we have more choice than before.
The only disappointment was the Illy espresso. My take on Illy is that it promises more than it delivers. Maybe the next time I'll order from the dessert selection, but I can promise one thing: when you take your significant other to a meal at Baci, you'll get your share of kisses. I know for a fact that I'll be going back for many more meals.
To make reservations and get the directions, call +91-11-41507445 |
