Piercing a Tabasco tinged fork in China's belly

Eight Italian eateries opened doors in the last six months. Mumbai's restaurants are serving ravioli and gnocchi by the droves. Chinese, the old eat-out anthem of the city, is being booted out the door one soya-sauced Kung Pao potato at a time. Sowmya Rajaram reports

Eight Italian eateries opened doors in the last six months. Mumbai's restaurants are serving ravioli and gnocchi by the droves. Chinese, the old eat-out anthem of the city, is being booted out the door one soya-sauced Kung Pao potato at a time. Sowmya Rajaram reports

Three months ago, a thin-crust Chicken Calzone pizza in Thane would have been a foodie's wet dream. This February, chef Nitesh Salve cashed in on Mumbai's growing Italy mania, bringing Stone Oven, his Italian restaurant, to Thane. Salve says residents of pincode 601 didn't know better than dial-a-pizza.

Nishitha Nair (27) likes Italian food because it feels light. "I like the way it tastes, and because I can always opt for a salad or grilled chicken, it's a healthier option when eating out." Seen here with aunt Lathika Pillai, and cousins Romit (24) and Rhea (17). Pics/Vikas Munipalle

"Now, they come into the kitchen to ask questions about our hand-tossed thin crust pizzas. Families and young couples arrive by the droves," he says.

The enterprising chef learnt the ropes three years ago at Celini, Grand Hyatt's chic Italian restaurant, before he could offer the Central suburb its first slice of gourmet Italian, at happy meal prices.

At Stone Oven, all pizzas (seven vegetarian and six non-vegetarian varieties) are billed at under Rs 200 each, pastas come for as little as Rs 100, and the cheapest item on the menu is the Rustic Fresh Tomato soup at Rs 50.

At the other end of the city in Colaba, Mumbai's swish set sinks its teeth into Zucchini Carpaccio and Gnocchi alla Piemontese with equal passion at a tony restaurant called Villa 39.

The three week-old restaurant owned by Kajal Fabiani is one of eight new Continental restaurants to have opened in the last six months. In comparison, only five Chinese restaurants have popped up, suggesting that Continental cuisine is slowly nudging the wildly popular Asian cuisine out.

Fabiani reasons that international travel and exposure to different cuisines have warmed foodies to Italian. She admits, "Continental is positioned to take over Chinese food in a couple of years." Actor Suniel Shetty, who has put his weight behind the just-opened Little Italy at Opera House, adds, "Italian is easy on Indian tastebuds.

Kids, in particular, love pasta and pizza. They are a fast food generation and Italian food is hard not to like. Families love Italian because they see it as a cuisine that can be eaten out together."

Continental is associated with fine dining, reasons Juhu beach-facing Del Italia's Riyaz Amlani. "Chinese is more popular but Continental is catching up because of the cool factor, the chic ambience and wine."

Chinese VS Continental

Italian cuisine's low cal appeal is half the game won. Chef Ananda Solomon at Taj President's Trattoria says, "People are getting health conscious and there's more awareness about the health hazards related to ajinomoto. Indian Chinese is deep-fried with too much colour."

Raj Ghosh, Operations Head at newly-opened Andheri restaurant The Jail, says, "Italian dishes use olive oil and mustard, can be grilled, and are low in calories."

Nirmal Moneiro of Bandra lounge The Elbo Room, believes it's the use of ingredients like basil, olive oil, celery and garlic with medicinal properties, that has made the difference. "Chinese uses a lot of cornflour, which is unhealthy. Italian offers more variety in sauces (white sauce, pesto sauce, tomato sauce, garlic sauce) as opposed to the couple of sauces in Chinese food."

Food retailers suggest that the city's floating population has fuelled the Italian food craze. Melinda Jagtiani of Sant ufffd Patisserie and Delicatessen in Bandra says, "Mumbai is now home to a number of expatriates. A few years ago, importers supplied only to big restaurants. Today, retailers like me do small, vacuum-sealed packages that expose a larger base to Continental food."

At her store, cheese, cold cuts and grilled seafood sell big. Mohit Khattar, Managing Director, Godrej Nature's Basket, says, "Italian food has become more visible. People ask for processed meat, herbs, cheese, sauces and pastas."

In the four years since its launch, Sunfeast pasta has released five flavours, and has grown at a rate of 15% to 20% every year -- a big dent in a snack market dominated by instant noodles and biscuit brands.

Chitranjan Dar, Divisional Chief Executive, ITC Foods Division, has observed that Italian lends itself well to Indianisation. The cuisine is also massively popular with vegetarians. Fabiani plans to include vegetarian versions of classic Italian dishes like Insalata Di Mozzarella Malla Caprese at Villa 39.

Ditto why Shetty's Little Italy is a complete vegetarian Italian eatery. "The area is home to many Marwari and Gujarati families, known to be staunch vegetarians. We knew that the challenge would be to create a vegetarian menu that could compete with Indian restaurants in the area. Our menu has been designed to suit the vegetarian Indian," he explains.

'Unlike french food, italian is rustled up quick'
Anil Chandok, CEO, Chenab Imports, which imports gourmet ingredients and packed foods

Is Italian food catching up with Chinese food in terms of popularity?
Absolutely.

What's making this happen?
It's a cuisine that appeals to the Indian palate, and is easy to cook even at home. French cuisine, for instance, is tough to cook in an Indian kitchen with the ingredients we have at hand. Italian food is adjusting. From a retailer's point of view, the import of Italian products has become easier than importing Chinese items.

How aware is the Indian diner?
They know a lot. They ask for gluten-free pasta, the hand-crafted variety, as well as regular penne. People are ready to experiment, and are far more involved in their choice of ingredients while dining out.

Which ingredients sell the most?
Olive oil, pasta, olives, cheese and mustard.

Quick check

War of menus

What's going against Chinese?
>>Deep fried recipes
>>Use of ajinomoto
>>Use of artificial colour
>>Use of cornflour and saturated oil

What's in favour of Italian?
>>Use of light-on-heart olive oil
>>Sparing use of spices
>>More variety in sauces
>>Use of fresh herbs and ingredients

Who has decided to serve italian in the last 1 year?
>>Villa 39, Near Ravissant, Colaba
>>Yellow Tree, Ambedkar Road, Bandra
>>Don giovanni, Juhu
>>Adda - The Den, Andheri (West)
>>Pizza Roma, Lokhandwala Complex
>>Bianco Kitchen and bar, Lokhandwala

Snack-break food Sunfeast Pasta (ready-to-eat pasta)u00a0 has released five flavours, and grown at 20% every year since it launched four years ago; a big dent in a snack market dominated by age-old instant noodles and biscuit brands.

The handbook

How to decipher an exotic Italian menu

PANNA COTTA
(pronounced as Pahn-nah Koh-tah)
This is Italy's answer to Cream Caramel. It's a silky-smooth egg custard flavoured with caramel, served with fruit or chocolate sauce. Panna Cotta means "cooked cream".

OSSO BUCCO ALLA MILANESE
(pronounced as Oh-so Book-oh alla Milanese)
Cooked in olive oil and white wine, this is an Italian dish made from sliced veal shanks tossed with tomatoes, rice and vegetables.

GNOCCHI ALLA PIEMONTESE
(pronounced as Noh-kee alla Pee-mawnt-ease)
This dish from Piedmont in North Italy is made with potato spud dumplings, spinach, sundried tomato pesto and Gorgonzola. Perfect for vegetarians.

COZZE ALLA TARANTINA
(pronounced as Coat-say alla Tarantina)
Typically, half-shelled and steamed mussels that are cooked with lemon juice/sauce, parsley, garlic and
sun-dried tomatoes.

But Italian will have to get as cost-effective as Chinese
Chitaranjan Dar says Chinese food is still extremely popular because we've completely Indianised it, and it's a perfect fit for the budget diner's wallet. "Continental food still has some catching up to do in the price department. It will be a few years before prices get as competitive as those of Chinese food right now."

The forecast: After Italian, what next?

Get ready to eat stew with pig's ear

Brazilian will be big says Chef Ananda Solomon of Taj President
"It has a rich cultural background, great music, and football, which is getting popular here too. Brazilian food is big internationally, and I think it won't be long before it becomes the next big thing here. Latin American food is being talked about globally."

Pan-Asian says Chef Nirmal Monteiro of Elbo Room, Bandra
"We also serve Japanese food on the menu, and guests like it. In future, I think Korean, Vietnamese and Indonesian food will gain popularity. Mexican, too, is gaining ground."

Pan-Asian says Chef Paul Kinny, InterContinental at Marine Drive

Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil. The stew is believed to have been concocted by slaves who took scraps from the mansions and transformed them into a slave-quarter delicacy. Its name is derived from feij ufffdo, the Portuguese word for beans. Beans and salted meats (including dried beef, a pig's ear and trotters) form the base of the stew.