Eating Out...

The new Italian restaurant at The Leela in Bombay is a real �Star�, learns UpperCrust.

Winds of change are blowing through the Leela Palaces & Resorts and the good news is that the Leela Kempinski Mumbai, in keeping with the times and the competition in the neighbourhood, has replaced its old Fiorella restaurant with one serving genuine and traditional cucina Italiana. It is called Stella. And Stella in this case is not the name of some hot blooded Italian woman. Stella also means star in Italy. If the significance is lost on you (it was on me, till Executive Chef Frank Muller explained) please understand that this is not some lobby level restaurant. It is several floors up in the Leela Kempinski and, therefore, literally quite close to the stars. �Also, at Stella, every dish is a star,� continued Muller, smiling crookedly. Indeed, they are! But first you take the elevator and ride up eight floors till the doors swish open and you are ushered into a new world in the Leela outside of Capt. Krishnan Nair�s flowering trees and plants in the waterfall garden below. You will be amazed at the front door itself when you enter through the enchanting Stella wine library, arguably the largest Italian wine library in the country, to reach the dining area that is already sounding Italian because of some lovely opera music. Here, as the hotel is fond of saying, is finally an excuse not to travel to Italy for great Italian food and wines. Though townie foodies in Bombay will still have to make the brave journey from south to north over dug-up roads and through appalling traffic to get to Stella! But at journey�s end, they will find Stella is one of the most comfortable and welcoming places in Bombay, and one of the few restaurants that offer true authentic Italian food and the widest variety of Italian wines.

Two reasons for this are the men behind the exciting new team that Madhu Nair has put together for Stella. Master Chef Maximiliano Cotilli from Rome, truly a gladiator of a man, who is very passionate about his food and who has worked in several Michelin star restaurants... but until now, never before stepped outside of Europe. His food therefore is contemporary Italian cuisine but which retains the traditional flavour. About his cuisine, Max says with the gleam of battle in his eye, �Of course it is Italian and it originates from the finest food available in the market every day. I like producing light dishes, starting from traditional recipes, pairing unusual ingredients, giving to the dish a modern touch using high techniques. The taste has to be balanced and sharp, each ingredient has to be enhanced, not covered. I love design and I amuse myself composing the plate. I like making fresh pasta and bread every day and prefer saucing with vegetable juice-based vinaigrettes, light emulsified stocks, and purees as well as delicate broths, and herb-infused meat and fish essences. Unlike sauces which incorporate a lot of butter or cream my approach does not mute or block the basic flavours of the ingredients they are meant to support.�

And the other reason why Stella is worth all the trouble driving over to, is its Manager and Sommelier Silvano Charrier. If Max is Russel Crowe, then Silvano is Antonio Banderas, smooth, sensuous, articulate and passionate about what he does and how he does this in public with people. Talking about wines, Silvano says, �The best way to know about wines is to drink them. I am always excited to open a bottle of wine. It is a festive feeling! It�s exciting! Orgasmic! I prefer wine to women!� And he is happy to come across the Indian guest who when advised to change his drinking habits from whisky to wine, says, �Find me a nice bottle!� Silvano sells 25 reds and whites by the glass and he changes these wines every ten days after running them through his staff so that they see, know and understand what they have to sell. �It is the same way with food,� Silvano says. �When a new dish is made, we taste it, and then match it with wine.� He and Max work as a team and any meal at the Stella is always an experience if these two gentlemen are around to take care of the order. For your meal at Stella, try the various olive oils available from North, Central and South of Italy with some great Italian bread and exercise the option for your food to be cooked as per your recommended oil defining your preferences between spicy, fruity and bitter. Silvano would recommend a nice glass of Gavi white wine with it. From the a-la-carte menu, try the Lobster Ceaser Salad or the famous Sicilian Caponata and combine it with a glass of white Chardonnay from the north of Italy. The second courses are excellent; Stella is famous for its Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian Pastas. Max would recommend Penne Al Pizzico or the hand-made noodles, Chicken Supreme and Forest Mushrooms tossed in Parmesan Cream � Futtuccine Tetrazzini. Silvano would add a bottle of red wine, the Brunello Di Montalcino from Tuscany (North Italy) to go with it.

You could follow this with some Ossobuco Al Pinot Nero and Lombata Di Agnello � a delicious shank of lamb and try it with some great red wine from Veneto North East of Italy � Amorone D Valpolicella Classsico. The desserts are the damnation of the dieter and so delicious you�ll want more. The Millefoglie Di Cioccolato Uno Per Due is one that you should not miss from the list and Silvano will recommend a fantastic sweet wine, the Muffato, to go with it. Max says, �For me it is important that diners enjoy a perfectly balanced meal that continues to satisfy afterwards. Food doesn�t have to be rich to taste good.�

The restaurant seats 48 and 12 in a private dining area. It has two menus, one is the regular and the other the Chef�s Menu which is seasonal or made up of dishes created out of only imported items of food. The menus are innovative and contemporary but Max is forever working on changes keeping in mind the freshness of the food and its Mediterannean flavours. �The idea is the guest has to feel like he is sitting somewhere on the Mediterranean coast and having a light meal. He must feel that he has eaten well but is not feeling stuffed,� says the chef from Rome.

Madhu Nair, who says that Stella is the brainchild of husband Dinesh, gives the Leela�s new Italian restaurant an 8 out of 10. �That�s because with each project we hope to get better,� she says. She herself has worked closely with the entire team on everything to do with Stella to make sure the guest has a seamless experience until the moment he pays his cheque. She knows what she wants, right from the cutlery and crockery to the lighting and music, and she leaves it to the experts and the F&B people to deliver the goods. �If I like it, it gets ordered immediately. Starting a project like Stella, running it from start to finish, is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle,� Madhu says.

Oliver Martin, Executive Assistant Manager, F&B, says, �Stella is not just a new wine and dine experience. The restaurant is the first Italian fine dining restaurant with an expat sommelier and an expat chef from Rome. Stella also serves Italian waters, Illy coffee and much more.�