Relishing Experience – Eatalian Food Festival @ MoMo Café, Courtyard By Marriott

You say ‘Italian.’ I say, ‘Anytime and anywhere.’

Love for Italian food never ceases. It has been a dominant cuisine in my taste, preference, and diet. I mean, who doesn’t like Pasta’s and Pizza’s. I can survive on them for rest of my life. That’s how much I love them. And, guys, let us not forget the cheese… the melted, gooey, and sinful cheese. My Precious.

When I heard there’s an Eatalian Extravaganza festival showcasing at MoMo Café, Courtyard By Marriott – there was no possibility, I would miss it.  To beat Monday Blues and to indulge in my favorite cuisine, I headed to the MoMo café this Monday.

Italian food is known for its freshness and there was no doubt that all the antipasti were a symbol of it. You will find me expressing and stressing on the ‘freshness’ part more often than ever. I was in awe with their maneuvered planning.

After being greeted by courteous staff, I was taken for a tour to have a look at the ingredients and freshly preparation of the Pastas and sauces. The tour was an eye-opener. Chef Aniruddha Limaye briefed on the fresh ingredients that were flown in from different parts of the country. Chef had personally checked on each ingredient to serve Amdavadi’s with authentic Italian flavors. The herbs infused in water, the large blob of cheese, the chutney’s, sauces, and the oh-so-enticing pasta's surely screamed, ‘Eat me, I am awesome’ slogan.

Without wasting any further moment, I sat in and the servings began:

Welcome Drink: Sangrita Mocktail

The ‘red’ color surely didn’t let us miss the lovely and perfect companion of such a delicious spread. Honestly, we did miss it. The mocktail was decent with a perfect blend of juices, fruits, and a dash of spice, to let us gulp it down easily.

The Welcome Platter: Bread & Cheese

The table had a basket with some traditional and small bread. To accompany it, there was a bowl of oregano and other herb mixed cheese spread. Together, they were a great kick-start to make us hope for better dishes.

Antipasti (Appetizers)

Pomodoro Lento Arrosto con Bocconcini Di Formaggio Marinato

These Antipasti had slow roasted tomatoes at the base. Bocconcini Cheese was used as a topping with some little and generous drizzle of olive oil. A single piece to eat, the finely roasted tomatoes with their softness intact and the silky cheese made it a show stellar.

Funghi Ripieni

I love mushrooms. This portion of antipasti was like a heaven on earth. Simple on spices, this had dried cherry tomatoes as topping. Together, it gave a good blast of flavors in my mouth. I liked that these mushrooms retained their freshness and were not dry.

Zucchine Alla Grilglia Con Aglio Basilico

Zucchini was topped with freshly cut onions and tomatoes, an enormous amount of basil that gave a fresh taste in our mouth, and olive oil. You cannot just have one of them. The crunchiness of zucchini and vigor of basil refreshed our palate. The zucchini with all its juice in place and chopped vegetables was a different taste altogether.

Zucchini and Goat Cheese

Another Zucchini antipasti, this was folded into a flower shape. Topped with a small piece of goat cheese, it was a perfect example of natural flavors at its best. Like the above one, zucchini always leaves fresh and juicy taste in your mouth. And the cheese… well, this doesn’t need any other explanation.

Fresh Cherry Tomato and Burrito Cheese

Burrito Cheese gives you another reason to fall in love with this festival. An entire plate laid with cheese and decorated with fresh cherry tomatoes and olive oil. What more you need in this world?

Yet another dish that showed the magic of basic flavors without tampering with them too much.

Main course included:

Roasted Tomato and Ricotta Ravioli with cream cheese sauce

My personal favorite – a deadly combination, which never fails. A fluffy and mouthful spinach & ricotta ravioli with cream cheese sauce can lift your spirits within minutes. Thanks to cheese, it taught me to enjoy my spinach. The roasted tomato sauce became an excellent companion to this entire dish. Being biased to this one, I had no means to judge it… so I simply gobbled it down.

Gnocchi

A mushy and soft pasta dumpling dipped in fresh herbs and toasted in light olive oil. The chef suggested us to try it with basic and little tomato and lots of olive oil. The infused herbs gave a boost to the dumpling taste. What I liked about them was the smoothness of them. A single cut and it forms small pieces so nicely. The knife comes out clean and you do not have to try hard to swallow it. They melt in your mouth.

Parsley Fettuccini with Puttanesca

 Let me start with praising the parsley fettuccini. This idea of making pasta along with herbs was fantastic. All pastas had great taste and they really provided a sense of gratification and satisfaction to the forever-hungry-soul. The Parsley Fettuccini was made in Puttanesca – an amalgamation of flavors, so nicely brought together. While fettuccini provided a refreshing taste, the sauce filled up the need of base. It didn’t let the dryness of the fettuccini hit in.

Dessert – Zuppa Inglese

Ending on a sweet note, I tried Zuppa Inglese, which was like melted chocolate with some crumbled chocolate and topped with some nuts. With that, I had a chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce.

Do I even need to explain or express about chocolate? We all love chocolate.

Overall, I had a very extraordinary experience at the MoMo café & with Eatalian Food Festival. The festival is going on till 31^st July 2016. If you are in Ahmedabad, do not miss it.

It is worth experiencing, a true, and authentic Italian dishes right here, in Ahmedabad. Kudos to Courtyard by Marriott and the chefs who innovate such unique festivals and their staff.