 Chef Cristian Cabrera Fratelli Fresh, the specialty restaurant serving Italian cuisine at Renaissance Mumbai Hotel & Convention Centre has a new chef leading its kitchen. Chef Cristian Cabrera hails from Chile and has an experience amassed across four continents of the world. He has worked in renowned restaurant kitchens from Chile to Miami to Europe and most recently India. A tête-à-tête with the chef quickly reveals to you his jovial nature, passion for food and the regard he holds for simplicity in cooking. This fact is well reflected in the new menu conceptualized by him for the restaurant. The menu integrates chef’s modern twist to some of his grandmother’s gastronomic delights in a brilliant way. So passionate is the chef regarding his new menu, that while playing host he himself ended up serving us most of the dishes. Here is a glimpse of my gluttony with the various courses during a special preview of this new menu: ANTIPASTI The meal for the evening began with a range of yummy salads. I particularly enjoyed two salads from the wide variety on display. The FRATELLI FRESH TUNA TARTARE was refreshing, had lovely flavor of capers coming through and came with a juicy garnish of cherry tomatoes. I am an ardent fan of Parmesan cheese and Chef Cristian’s version of the CAESAR SALAD just made me ecstatic entailing copious addition of parmesan with romaine lettuce.  PIZZA The next course to follow was the CHICKEN MARGHERITA PIZZA. The sauce used in the pizza had very subtle flavors of garlic, basil and oregano. The topping of onions brought a delicate sweetness to the dish that blended well with the flavor of cheese. The topping of grilled chicken chunks was delicious. A vegetarian rendition of this pizza was also served. PASTA I commenced this course with SPAGHETTI IN ARRABIATA SAUCE. Since, I am a non-vegetarian I was served one with prawns and calamari. The sauce was used cautiously so as to not overpower the entire dish with the flavor of tomatoes. However, I felt a little more seasoning would have elevated the dish. Next, I was served with boiled PANZEROTTI, which was one of the delicious preparations of the evening. The Panzerotti came with a scrumptious filling comprising of lamb that was cooked in a red wine reduction and blended with blue cheese and mushroom ragout. Another beautiful preparation in this new menu was LOBSTER TORTELLINI served on a bed of pea puree drizzled with thyme butter and lobster bisque. All pasta served were made in-house and the outcome of this laborious routine was manifested in the superb texture each dish displayed with regards to the pasta used. RISOTTO The highlight of the day was the vegetarian version of the risotto served, which had MUSHROOMS, ASPARAGUS AND GRANA PADANO cheese. The mushrooms brought a lovely earthy flavor to the dish while the Grana Padano imparted a refined taste and richness to the dish. The seafood version had prawns, calamari and was topped with a beautiful piece of sea bass. The flavor of the risotto was that of white wine reduction. However, the vegetarian version clearly scored over the seafood one for me. MAIN COURSE The first dish to make its way on my plate in this course was the EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA. This dish was nothing out of the ordinary. The flavors of tomato compote and parmesan cheese did not really impart an outstanding taste to the eggplant. Next up was CHICKEN CACCIATORE, a rustic dish prepared in the traditional way the hunters did. The chicken was cooked with onion, garlic, tomatoes and was extremely moist. However, I again had issues with seasoning of the dish. A portion of mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus was served along with the chicken. The last dish in this course was AQUA PAZZA. This consisted of a lovely piece of seared sea bass flavored with a scrummy bisque and served with glazed carrots and rosemary potatoes. DESSERT
This course was simple and enjoyable and comprised of FRESH FRUIT PLATTER with the season’s most sought after fruits like strawberries and mulberries. Different types of Italian Cheese were displayed along with a variety of dry fruits. My favorite pick was pairing the GRANA PADANO with raisins. Apart from the aforementioned desserts on the menu, we were additionally served with three different delectable pastries. I had a memorable time sampling the new menu at Fratelli Fresh. Do let me know of your experience as well. Till then, HAPPY EATING… |
AUTHOR- Regional Indian Food & Travel enthusiast Archives
January 2018
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