White: The Italian Restaurant

Jan 28, 2008

Que Splendido!

Deceptively tucked deep into this seemingly seedy lane, White is truly an off-the-beaten-path discovery.

The bright green neon light, whose sole purpose seems to be to alert adventurous diners that they have arrived, hangs high on a banyan tree that stands near the entrance. Walk through the main gate, and you will notice a more casual, outdoor cafe cum lounge on the right. Continue forward through the wooden double doors, and your experience has begun.

Unfortunately, the place was nowhere near as crowded as a restaurant of this caliber should be. The layout is quite spread and the place probably easily seats around 60-70 people. There is a separate bar area as well, tucked towards the back of the restaurant, and one will instantly see a big, shiny espresso machine. That brought a smile to my face, and it foreshadowed the rest of the experience.

We thought we'd all start our meals with Caesar Salads - but the waiter intelligently reminded our vegetarian comrades that one of the prime ingredients in a Caesar dressing is anchovy paste. We opted for a few Insalata Mistas and an Arugula salad with Pear, Gorgonzola and Walnut salad. Now, it's not as we've not encountered these dishes in menus before in Bombay, but none of them have been so true to the original recipe as at White. Real field greens instead of just some iceberg lettuce; flavorful arugula, real Gorgonzola cheese with that pleasant bite - it was a perfect beginning.

As we were perusing through our menus, we were continuously brought baskets of warm fresh breads, ranging frmo focaccia, to rosemary wheat rolls, and much more. Each time, they were brought out with at least 2-3 different types of flavoured butter - and for the true-blue Italian enthusiast, olio olivo and balsamic vinegar were already on the table.

We went straight to the main course, where most all of us ordered pastas - I opted for a prawn ravioli, which lacked a tiny bit of salt, but was otherwise the most authentic ravioli I've seen in all of Bombay - instead of the tiny, microwavable Chef-Boyardee, my plate had four massive pockets of goodness, topped with a hearty garlicky tomato sauce.

I ended the fantastic Italian meal as I would any - with a shot of espresso - a bit too lukewarm for my taste, but then again, I need all my hot drinks piping hot! Unfortunately, it was dry day, otherwise, the wine list looked respectable.

All in all, the one thing you will notice here above all, including the great food, are the subtle wins these guys achieve with service - whether it's the tiny breadcrumb scraper I've only seen at Italian restaurants abroad, to waiters running to your table to tuck your seat back in after a restroom visit; to replacing all your soiled silverware immediately after picking up your plates; it all puts a big smile on your face and reintills your faith in customer service in India - something that unfortunately goes overlooked way too much.

Bravo, White - this is my new Italian place of choice!

• Best of burrp!
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