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Photos By:: Adil Arora
 Prosecco is not Champagne. It is much lighter on the palate and wallet than Champagne. It is also crisper, fresher, fruitier and simpler- and has hit the roof in popularity during the last 5-6 years in the rest of the world with the sales of 307 million bottles overtaking the stagnating 304 million bottles of Champagne. Also in India every importer is striving to have at least one label and already moving from one label to second and even third and even more wineries to represent.
It also comes in two appellation designations- a DOC and the top of Italian quality pyramid-DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata and Garantita) which is produced from the sloping vineyards in the old classic area in Treviso. This used to be a DOC wine till 2009 (also available was a lower quality IGT wine) when the Consortium of Prosecco producers decided to expand the sparkling wine production zone manifold, also including Friuli to meet the unprecedented demand of the bubbly. It’s also a great appetizer and can go very well with a lot of dishes-especially the antipasti, pizzas and pastas. But as Arora explained, most were DOC in India. Only Brut and Extra Dry (slightly sweet) are being imported into India.
Amalfi is an enchanting town and comune in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It is also a casual dining restaurant-a trattoria, in Greater Kailash II in Delhi- serving Italian cuisine. It has a friendly and unassuming interiors with shades of Italian décor, that has nothing to do with Amalfi but does remind you of an Italian trattoria.
It was a perfect venue to taste a dozen Proseccos and Spumante Rose Brut from the same wine producing area and conduct a Masterclass for the members that filled the restaurant on a chilli Sunday evening earlier this month when the members could also meet and wish each other as the New Year had just dawned on us.
Angad and Timzy Batra, the young, dynamic bubbly brother-sister duo, are effervescent and young as Prosecco. They were full of excitement and anticipation for this unique evening though slightly anxious about how the evening would turn out. But they were well prepared for the evening- ready and smiling to shower a never ending stream of antipasti and pizzas so members could try them with the two principal wines- San Simone Brut and Rose Spumante Brut.
The Batra siblings had inkling that this was a great opportunity to showcase their friendly restaurant with a decent variety of food and wines. The Antipasti that was meant for an earlier blind  tasting, was rolled out for every member. The carnivorous were very pleased with the deep fried Calamari served with mix lettuce and red chilli mayonnaise; Pollo al Pesto- Pan seared Chicken served with mix lettuce and pesto sauce and Antipasti Misto-poached chicken crostini, Parma ham and fig crostini. The Antipasti Misti Vegetariano-Wild mushroom and olive and grape crostini was a delectable start for the vegetarians who also loved the Italian specialty-Rapine di melanzane alla gratinati (Baked aubergine), Spedani di caprese (Fresh bocconcini cheese tomato and pesto sauce). The San Simone Prosecco Brut was crispy, fresh and zingy enough to cleanse the palate and since it was not very dry it matched well with the dishes.
Pizzas may not be the only specialty of the restaurant. But the way they evaporated before the bubbles in the Prosecco, implied either that they were delicious or the Prosecco was. I am of the view that the combination was awesome- the bubbles cleaning up the palate at every sip, making every bite delicious and fresh. It was difficult to tell which of the three vegetarian pizzas was being served but I think the Jalapenos being the common denominator in the Pizza Margherita, Pizza Basilico e Bocconcini and Pizza con Carciofi e Asparagi made them match beautifully with Prosecco DOC, though I found many were gravitating fast towards the Spumante Rose.
Affumicato Pizza di Pollo con Funghi e Pomodori Secchi and Pizza Pepperoni Piccante would be my absolute favourites with the Il Conceerto Spumante Rose from San Simone. Pizza con Misto Vegetariano also did well for my palate with the same though the Prosecco was a better match for this dish. To have the fresh, hot pizzas pouring in seamlessly, to the full house of members was a pleasant sight, testifying the excellent and personalised service under the watchful eyes of the owners whose earlier ‘stage fright’ seemed to have vanished. They were mixing with the members comfortably even while maintaining liaison with the kitchen to make sure the food was hot and plenty.
 The dinner was with a twist this evening. We had decided to serve only Prosecco- the idea of Masterclass at the Amalfi came up much later. Knowing that the main course might not be a successful match for the DOC Prosecco, especially for non-vegetarians, we decided to be experimental and order Primi Piatti as the main course, knowing the Italian purists might fume at the thought- and so would a few members too! This turned out to be an interesting experiment, adding to the zing of the evening.
Primi Piatti and Prosecco
I didn’t taste the Spaghetti Aglio Olio Peperoncino with a total of six Primi Piatti on offer! But Ravioli di Zucca alla Gorgonzola- the homemade red pumpkin ravioli was superb; the walnut sauce had given it a unique personality. So was my favourite Lasagna al Forno with lamb ragù and béchamel sauce. This was a heavenly match with the Rose bubbles as was the vegetarian variant. I reserve my judgement on about Fettuccine Alla Barbaietola e Salsa-Homemade beetroot fettuccine served with Gorgonzola cheese sauce. According to our members in the legal profession it is now ‘Part- Heard’ and I would need to go back again to taste the individual portion since it didn’t get a proper opportunity because of the crowd of so many delectable dishes. Needless to say, the Proseccos proved their mettle in matching the Primi Piatti, which for our purpose were the Secondi Piatti- the Main Course.
The restaurant has a lot to offer for a delicious meal. The open terrace on the top floor, offers a relaxing alfresco meal; Sitting in the open, one wonders if the setting is in Delhi. Service with a Smile seems to be the motto here with wholesome home-cooked Italian food. There is only a minor problem-to reach the terrace, one has to traverse too many steps- so elderly and infirm cannot relish the meals. The Batra siblings are well aware of the impediment and have promised that the elevator will be in place before March end. I hope to be invited as the first passenger on it.
Subhash Arora
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