What would be the cost of a three-course dinner-with-wine for two at a mid-priced Italian restaurant in a less-than-fashionable district of New York? At Scarpetta, in the meatpacking district near the West Village, it comes to around $200 plus taxes and tip. I did my maths, and that is the range of dough you can expect to shell out to enjoy a similar meal at La Brezza, the newly-opened Italian restaurant at Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resorts, beyond the F1 circuit at Gautam Buddh Nagar. After you’ve driven around 45 km on the Greater Noida Expressway from South Delhi. It’s a handy perspective to have in the less-than-bullish times we inhabit.
That said, I must add that La Brezza did exceed my expectations. Enoteca, a 2,500 sq ft, 40 cover-wine bar, is on the ground floor of the two-tiered restaurant overlooking the sylvan golf course, which is spread over roughly 2,800 sq ft on the first floor and serves 40 covers, including a show kitchen and a sectioned-off semi-private dining area.
The first thing that impressed me as we sat down was the handsome tableware. I’m not that finicky, but quality china never fails to put me in an expectant mood before dinner. A bread basket, that appeared almost immediately, accompanied by a fruity olive oil and other dips and spreads, complemented the mood, filling the air with the lovely smell of freshly baked goodies. The maître d was helpful without being overbearing, and so we went along with some of his recommendations, starting with Arancini—golden croquettes of risotto stuffed with Fontina cheese served with a spiked tomato sauce. Carpaccio di Tonno followed, speckled with a lemon-miso salsa and accompanied by a variety of salts, from minerally black lava to red Himalayan. It was fabulously complemented by the 2007 vintage Tyrolean Pinot Nero.
Before we realised, we were ordering our third appetiser in Mozzarella in Carrozza, lightly fried mozzarella roundels served with a tomato salsa, deconstructed to resemble caviar, with tiny round ‘roe’ of both tomato and basil pastes dropped in olive oil, carefully fished out and frozen—dramatic presentation that befitted Michelin stars.
For the mains, we ordered a Ravioli con l’Anatra (duck confit ravioli with a Marsala wine reduction) and a Tagliatelle al Tartufo Nero (tagliatelle with black truffles) each. The pasta followed the overall outlook of the service—freshly made, stunning in their simplicity and packed with layers of flavour. That much thought had gone into planning the thankfully short menu was proven by the way the pasta was served—lightly coated with the sauce, as it should be, with an acompanying sauce boat that had more, keeping local expectations in mind. It made me wonder if our orders for the accompanying meat dishes would go waste.
As it proved, the Branzino con Verdure (striped sea bass on a bed of cherry tomatoes and spring veggies) and Costolette d’Agnello ai Pepi (lamb chops with mixed peppercorns and rosemary-white wine reduction) fought for our attention, and despite our rapidly-shrinking capacities, bowled us over with their delectable flavours—whether it be the crisp fish with its deliciously mild aftertaste offset by peppery notes of the accompanying micro-greens, or the rich, grassy lamb, enhanced by the herby, complex, sweet-n-sour sauce. The maître d insisted on us trying at least a slice each of their pizza Margherita. Though we agreed with reluctance, one bite was enough to convince we’d have missed out on something stunning otherwise. Here was home cooking as it should be—clean, simple flavours that highlighted the best of ingredients, elevating the ordinary to the sublime.
With no space in our bellies, we ordered a single Panna Cotta e Amaretto, almond panna cotta with amaretti biscuit and fruits coulis, but frankly, stuffed as we were, couldn’t do much justice to the trembling pudding.
Now, if they could do something about the depersonalised decor and strange (ugly?) lampshades and vacuous lighting.