When Serafina first opened in Kolkata I was super excited. Everyone who reads my blog will know that I love food and I thoroughly enjoy a good Pizza. My preferred kind of Pizza is a good thin crust pizza. I visited Serafina, ate the pizza and did a double flip. I also fell head over heels in love with their Tiramisu and thus our story began. Their Big Apple Brunch on Sundays was another gem and I hope they start them again soon because Breakfast or Brunch is my favored meal of the day. I was saddened when they shut down but was comforted to hear that they would be back after renovations. I am hugely pleased to announce that they are back with a bang and I was happy to be invited along with a few fellow bloggers for a tasting of the new menu.
The meal we sampled was from the Chef’s Special Menu and an evening filled with good food, friends and fun followed. We kicked off our dinner with “Insalata Pollo Grosso” which was a salad of Grilled chicken breast, Kidney Beans, Roasted Corn and Iceberg Lettuce with mustard dressing. This was a nice fresh start to our dinner with the mustard dressing adding a nice zing to the dish. Two appetizers followed Crostini di Chorizo which was slices of French baguette, grated with mozzarella and topped with slices of chorizo. I loved the simplicity of this dish which showcased the lovely chorizo. The other appetizer was Polpette di Manzo Piccante – minced fillet Mignon dumplings with bell pepper in tangy sauce (a dish I could not personally taste as it was rather spicy but everyone else on our table seemed to enjoy).
Photo credit: Suneha Saha
The pizza followed – Paradiso with toppings of Chicken, Olives, Onions, Mozzarella cheese with Basil Pesto and Tomato Sauce. Though the crust was perfect I found the pizza slightly flat in terms of flavor and shared my feedback with the Management because Serafina makes amazing Pizza’s in general. A delicious vegetarian pasta followed that more than made-up for the pizza. Cremoso Spaghetti Calabrese – spaghetti in tangy homemade pink sauce, with seasonal greens, olives and aged Parmesan. Perfectly cooked pasta and well-balanced flavors made this a rather popular pick. The last main served to us was the dish of the day for me, a pan fried Bhetki with parsley mashed potato and creamy mustard sauce called Pesce Mostarda Salsa. The fish was absolutely perfect, the mashed potatoes heavenly (yes I love potatoes) and the sauce balanced but not so overpowering to take away from the beautiful flavor of the fish.
Photo credit: Suneha Saha
Then came the dessert which I rarely if ever eat a spoonful of, but as soon as I had arrived I had asked for my beloved Tiramisu to be served at the end of our meal. So thanks to yours truly we were served not two but three desserts. A Rich Chocolate Temptation – think truffle fudge with chocolate ganache arrived along with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream ….. it looked great and tasted equally good as per my co-diners but I gave it a miss because I was stuffed and saving space for my spoonful of tiramisu. The next temptation placed before us was the Chocolate Hazelnut Crème Brulee which was outstanding. Not too sweet and absolutely silken the mighty Tiramisu had some serious completion! And our lovely dinner ended on a perfect note with the much anticipated Tiramisu which had lost none of its charm and is still one of my chosen desserts in the City of Joy.
The rustic Italian charm, the warmth of the brick walls and the thrill of seeing the pizzas being made in the oven all add to the charm of this eatery. The service is warm and attentive and they make some excellent cocktails. What I appreciate is a clever menu designed with lots of vegetarian dishes to cater to the clientele. Overall a wonderful culinary experience and I am sure patrons all over the city are delighted to welcome Serafina back.
Rukshana Kapadia is one of the most respected food critics in Kolkata and is the founder of theculinarycommentator.com.