Serenading Chef
If wine, food and song is your idea of a fulfilling night-out, consider a visit to Oregano, the dinner-only Italian restaurant at the JW Marriot, Chandigarh. My last visit there found chef Antonello Cancedda in a mood to rustle up some off-menu treats.
The antipasto comprised of bruschetta topped variously with tomato, peppers and liver pate, and was served with the very versatile Riesling. The spinach ravioli in cheese sauce lightly drizzled with white truffle oil that followed was simply divine. As was the truly rustic olive oil and garlic rich spaghetti aglio e olio; in my mind the Italian equivalent of a searing hot roti smeared with desi ghee!
We abandoned a forgettable white wine for the ubiquitous Jacob Creek Shiraz Cabernet to pair with a round of balsamic risotto with chicken, which though delicious, was out-done by the vegetable-laden primavera risotto. Which, in turn, was completely out-ranked by the to-die-for tiramisu we were served as dessert with espresso coffee. Just as we began wrapping up the evening, along came a round of chilled limoncello, southern Italy’s traditional digestivo in the guise of a lemon flavoured liqueur.
Then, wait for it, a guitar-bearing gentleman, the chef himself. Here on, the evening took a distinctly musical turn as we joined his strumming and singing with our own tuneless versions of Chura Liya Hai and It’s Now Or Never. A delightful evening, no doubt. Just one niggling thought followed me home: whatever happened to Italian wines? I plan to find out when I return for the acid test of cucina Italiana, the carbonara.
Wine food and songs..!!!! Sounds tempting…..
Try it!
Pleased to see you promoting what I believe is the Australian Orlando Jacobs Creek wine produced in the Barossa Valley. I have driven past the original Jacob’s Creek vineyard many, many years ago. It is tiny – maybe only a few acres in size. I believe they actually source the grapes from many nearby regions to produce the final product. If they didn’t their wouldn’t be enough to even supply the local needs of all those thirsty Australians. 🙂
Well they seem to have found a fine balance between their domestic and overseas markets, for Jacobs Creek has increasingly become the wine for all seasons, I notice.
I met the chef at a banquet function at the Marriott a couple of months ago. A mutual friend knew him and had requested him to join us in the party for a little while. Found him quite a friendly guy!
That he is. And fairly creative in his metier, too. If you haven’t already found that out, that is.
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