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at 12:15:16 am on June 13, 2008
Kunal Kapoor and Hard Kaur at delItalia launch
Mumbai, Thursday, 12th June 2008: delItalia, a home-style Italian restaurant & deli, showcasing simple traditional Italian recipes in a cozy, comfortable and friendly atmosphere launched last night. Hosts of the evening were Riyaaz Amlani (CEO & MD of IEHPL) and Rizwan Amlani (Co-Owner, delItalia).
This is the newest venture by Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. (IEHPL), the food & concept savvy team that created Mocha – Coffees & Conversations,
Salt Water Grill & Smoke House Grill – Delhi.
Hosts of the evening, Riyaaz Amlani (CEO & MD of IEHPL) and Rizwan Amlani (Co-Owner, delItalia) saw their guests have a wonderful time with their wood fired pizzas, grappas, Italian wines, brushcetta and dolci. Seen come to congratulate the duo were Rajeev Samant of Sula, Rouble & Sahil Nagi, Raageshwari Sachdev, Ma Faiza, Nina Manuel, Rohit Agarwal, Cyrus Sahukar, Arshiya & Ridge Eappen, Monica Vaziralli, Shiv Karan Singh, Deepika & Yudishtir Urs, Kishore DF, Shruti Seth, Sameer Parekh, Neerja Shah, Kunal Kapoor, Binal Trivedi, Mukul Deora, Sameer Malhotra, Prashant Chaudhri, Arjan Bajwa, Suvedh Lohia, Rashmi Nigam, Ishita Arun, Shyam Mariwala, Sameer Kochhar of the IPL fame, Sucheta & Harrison, Niketan Madhok, Siddharth Kannan, Viren Shah, Chintu Bendre, Shonali Nagrani, Sapna Bhavnani, Vindu, Ashwin, Kaytee Namangal, Suchna & Yogi Shah, , Hard Kaur, Apnavi Thacker, Varun Saini & Anmol Singh of MTV Roadies fame.
Housed in a quaint old villa overlooking the Juhu Beach, delItalia marks a clear departure from often seen soul-less sleek minimalist restaurants, celebrating the nostalgia of the good old neighbourhood restaurants.
With floral and chequered print tablecloths and lace tapestry, delItalia is sure to transport you to a Villa in Firenze. Where romance, bonhomie and a warm and whole-some meal in the company of people you love is the single most important priority in life. The restaurant is spread over two levels with each level having an extended terrazzo (terrace) for Al Fresco dining under the stars while gazing over the Arabian Sea.
Occupying pride of place in delItalia is a wood-fired oven specially built to deliver artisanal Neapolitan Pizzas. The wood fired oven not only enhances the Pizza but also adds a fantastic smoked flavour to the bakes, lasagnes and breads. Madre Mia!
The menu urges you to enjoy a typical Three- Course Italian meal, starting with delicate Antipasti, (Tapas style Appetizers and Brushcetta, Soup or Salad) paired with an Aperitif, moving on to the Primi Piatti (First course) – which traditionally consists of Pasta or Risotto rounded of by Robust Secondi Piatti (Second Course or Entrees) rounded of with an Espresso and Grappa.
And what would the Italians do without their beloved “Dolci” (desserts)? The Pannacotta and the Tiramisu, is there of course but also worth dyeing for are Chocolate and Mascarpone Torte, the Seasonal Fruit Poached in Red Wine and a special Limoncello cheesecake.
“You have to try the Ricotta Stuffed Chilly Peppers, Wood Fired Aubergine & Pesto Lasagne, the John Dory with fresh Porcini, , Ratatouille Stuffed Snake Gourd, and the signature pizzas. For the vegetarians, the fare is exquisite and extensive with 70% of the menu being vegetarian”, says Viraf Patel, Group Executive Chef, IEHPL.
“The wine selection is exclusively Italian, covering major wine growing region in Italy from Trento to Sicily, Italian Beer, Spirits and for the first time a comprehensive Grappa list with a refreshing range of Grappa cocktails”, says Naveen Kotyankar, Group Beverage Manager, IEHPL who crafted this special Italian Bar menu.
On the new venture of his company, Riyaaz Amlani, CEO & MD, IEHPL says, “These are exciting times for IEHPL as we add on newer concepts to our existing properties. With delItalia we move into another category of hospitality – Casual Family-style Restaurants…” This new Italian venture, will be rapidly scaled up with 5 in this year itself i.e. Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and more in Mumbai. The restaurant will shortly open as a great all day place for Panini, Piadini and authentic Italian Espressos.”
Rizwan Amlani, Co-Owner of delItalia says on his maiden venture, “This is an extremely exciting phase as I venture into the hospitality business with my brother. delItalia is a novel concept and with this we aim to bring about more such spaces in Mumbai and India.”
Service at delItalia is friendly and efficient, with real attention to detail, where the customer is treated like a guest at an Italian home. The cosy, casual ambience is the right venue for people from all walks of life to enjoy great wines, warm service, and the best Italian cooking in this part of the country.
A relaxed and friendly team, warm environment, great food and unbeatable value, makes delItalia the ideal choice for lunch, dinner or just a great time out!
Click on the following pictures for full sized views that you can download.
