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Photos By:: Adil Arora
 It is not easy for a small trattoria to serve 5-course meal at the table to 28 hungry members of the Delhi Wine Club or any other group but Amalfi handled it very well by starting with a spate of delicious snacks like Crostini-vegetarian as well as fish and chicken variants. Chicken bites were delicious but their Baked Aubergine was the clear winner. One could devour dozens of the bite size pieces- grilled with molten cheese and with perhaps some garlic bread for a complete quick meal. Moletto Prosecco DOC Treviso Extra Dry was easy drinking, fruity bubbly with just a shade of sweetness and delicious on its own but certainly adding synergy to the snacks.
Climbing steps to the second floor is a reality check of your physical condition even if it makes you thirsty for a good Prosecco which the owner Angad Batra had chilled and ready to serve. All the members made it successfully to the restaurant (a part on the terrace one floor above was already full with two parties already booked) and were ready for an exciting meal. The snacks did more than an adequate job.
 Any trattoria or Italian restaurant worth its name must churn out tasty pizzas and as a ‘test’ we had chosen pizzas to go with the Pinot Grigio served as we sat down at the table. No one has ever complained about this varietal at any of the event during the last 13 years of existence of Delhi Wine Club and today was no exception. It matched deliciously with both the vegetarian and the chicken thin-crust hot pizzas (with mushroom, grilled chicken, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella and parmesan cheese). I found to my pleasure that even with a sprinkle of red peppers (Italians are always shocked with the idea of ‘peperoncino’ on a pizza but in India one always sees a chilli flakes and oregano dispenser on the table) I enjoyed it with the fruity wine.
There was nothing extra special in the Insalata Mista-mixed lettuce, thinly sliced green apples, asparagus tossed in honey mustard dressing with crumbled feta cheese and a dash of walnuts that was served next, except it was very crunchy and had nice texture. But the three helpings I took are indicative of how simple well made food can also charm you, especially in an atmosphere conducive to chatting and the level of bonhomie that we had reached by now. We encourage discussions of wine and  food and the latest happenings of the day but the basic Merlot varietal we were served was also indicative of how people react differently to wine. A very simple, mediocre, light bodied wine was a good condiment with the salad and unlike me, many members did like it.
The Main Course also reflected the dexterity of Chef Ajay who had made sure that even the simple dish like Spaghetti Aglio Olio was a great match with the Refosco- a dark red wine typical to the Veneto region (it can be found in Trentino and nearby Croatia also). Scaloppine di Pollo- Pan seared chicken tossed in peppercorn sauce) was a great match with the spaghetti and wine. Verdure Miste con Salsa di Funghi (Grilled fresh garden vegetables in wild mushroom and porcini sauce) were excellent as the main course for vegetarians though he non-vegetarians were also dished out spoonfuls of them. Scottato in Padella Basa (Pan-seared basa served with garlic butter sauce) was a bit too soft and melted in the mouth but was a passable and a decent match with Refosco because of the red sauce.
 Arora presented an overview of another interesting region of Italy-Sicily which is the second biggest island in Italy and makes both international style of wines like Syrah and indigenous grapes like Nero d’Avola. Terre Siciliane is an important area in the Southwest of Sicily. He talked about the region and its special indigenous grapes and the terroir. The members also had the opportunity to sample and taste three IGT Terre Siciliane wines from a winery in the area, Puleo- Antiche Vie Syrah, Antiche Vie Nero d’Avola and the premium Morogó Nero d’Avola which was the absolute favourite of all members, with a shade of oak and a lot of complexity. Hopefully, we will find these or similar wines from Terre Siciliane-they are value-for-money wines-especially Nero d’Avola which is very terroir-oriented even though found in various parts of Sicily.
Good food and cheerful service are the highlights of this restaurant. What impress me the most are the efforts made by the young owner Angad Batra to promote wine in the restaurant. He is planning several wine promotion initiatives including the already established ‘Unlimited Wine’ every Thursday evening for Rs.2500++. This is already an extremely popular concept with their Japanese clients, he says. Pre-bookings of parties several days ahead and two parties on the lovely terrace the same evening as our dinner indicate the popularity of the restaurant. But he made us feel very special by leaving the whole restaurant on the second floor at our disposal, making us want to come back for another informal evening soon.
Subhash Arora
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