When I stepped into Toscano at Nungambakkam, dull music and rustic beauty overwhelms me. Wooden floors, large windows, dark tables and chairs wrap the vast dining space. In the far end of the restaurant, a long counter filled with glasses of wine glows under dim spotlights. The ambiance is so smartly designed that it makes you halt for a moment, look around, bask into the surroundings and then start to chip into the menu.
Toscano is a fine-dining restaurant with eight branches in Bangalore. Now, it has stepped into Chennai offering delicious Italian cuisine. Since 2005, Toscano, under the management of the Red Apple Kitchen Pvt Ltd, has delighted many foodies.
I started my meal here with a series of beverages that sparkled my tongue with ice and mint. Toscano sling is a mashup of grapes, mint leaves, and crushed ice cubes. The moment they flood your mouth, a feeling of cold rush freezes you up for a second and then it disappears as quickly as it comes. Likewise, Virjin Mojito was another cool refresher. It’s fresh lime squashed together with mint leaves and soda and yet again, the drink was dashed with crushed ice cubes. Both the drink literally lightened my tummy as the cool mint chilled my throat.
I then moved on to explore the starters. I enjoyed spinach ravioli in basil flavoured tomato sauce and olives. Mixed with herbs, the somewhat-square-shaped patty was stuffed with finely chopped veggies. Each bite was a heaven. I was also served garlic breads alongside a tomato paste mixed with pepper. The bread was rather hard to chew but the tomato pulp was enough to please me.
For the main course, I devoured the Liguine Pescatore. To say in a nutshell, it’s a spaghetti mixed with prawns and drenched by tomato sauce. I noticed that most of the dishes had a dash of tomato sprinkled all over. Chicken Del Toscano, the slow cooked duck confit made with spinach, sage and ricotta stuffed chicken breast with ratatouille, and potatoes is sure to leave you asking for more as the meat is so soft and the masala is fabulous.
When it comes to desserts, do not miss the charcaol smoked lemon cheese cake. This was one of the finest dish I tried that night. (At the time of writing this article, I could still feel the faint aroma of lemon, hanging on my taste buds). Perhaps made with magic, the dessert was like a very soft lemon biscuit, enveloped by ice cream that serves as a right balance to punch up the taste. I also tried the Mango passion and boy, it was something I haven’t tried ever before. The mango and the rich curd left me in a state of bliss. The way the dish were served on the plates were quite appealing and is bound to make you hungry and the service here is topnotch.
(It is located at 11, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam. It is opened from 12 noon to 3.30 pm and 6.30 pm to 11 pm. For details, contact 6620 5547)
