A touch of Naples

With its Neapolitan cuisine, Sorrento adds another dimension to Italian fare

Big wheels of cheese greet the eye as one enters Sorrento, the specialty Italian restaurant at Shangri-La's Eros Hotel, Delhi. Servers can be seen carving thin slivers of beautiful 24-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano to be served with delicate culatello ham, as part of the ongoing cheese festival at the restaurant. The 60-seater Sorrento combines the swankiness of a premium restaurant with the rustic heartiness that Italian hospitality is famous for. So, you step into a well-lit, cheery space, with a salumeria (deli) on one side, two open kitchens - one being a pizza kitchen - bustling with activity and two refrigerators showcasing fresh, authentic produce, including a variety of cured meats such as the chorizo, coppa, mortadella and a host of cheeses like the smooth asiago and the formaggio di capra. The restaurant is named after a beautiful coastal town in the southwest region of Italy, known for its sweeping water views and big bold Neapolitan flavours. And it is these flavours that Italian chef Luigi Ferraro has attempted to recreate at Sorrento.

"Tuscan and Sicilian cuisines are commonly found at most restaurants. However, authentic Neapolitan flavours are hard to find," says Neeraj Tyagi, the hotel's executive chef, explaining why he chose to focus on this particular cuisine. To stay true to original flavours, the team flies down a whole variety of produce from Italy. Conchiglie, casarecce, strozzapreti, agnolotti - the artisanal pastas come in a range of shapes and with a host of names that one has not seen or heard of before. To help you make an informed choice, the menu carries small sketches of the pasta shapes. So, you can choose from the seashell shaped conchiglie, the free formed casarecce or the cone shaped campanelle. I choose the casarecce with Italian sausage and tomatoes. The robust flavours of the meat combined with the heartiness of sauce make this a delicious dish.

This is contrasted by the sharp tang of the aged Parmigiano served with hot gnocco fritto and homemade compote. As I graduate from the 12-month-old cheese to the 24-month-old, the texture, smell and taste change dramatically. The latter is more crumbly, granular and has a slight undertone of apricots. Next up is the creamy risotto served with confit duck breast, gelato of parmesan stravecchio and duck ragout. The cool, gentle textures of the gelato form a perfect foil to the well-cooked duck breast.

Chef Luigi Ferraro

  Even though all the dishes brought out so far have beautifully showcased contemporary Neapolitan cooking, the piece de resistance of the meal is the black cod with lardo wrapped with olio negra, nuts and roasted forest mushrooms. So far, I have savoured this delicate fish only at Japanese restaurants, where chefs marinate it in a sweet miso dressing and serve it after a quick sear. This dish was first made popular by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, which was then replicated by Japanese restaurants around the world. The only Italian versions of black cod I have seen are on TV or online cookery shows, where they serve it with tomato saffron brodetto or with a lemon confit. So, I was really looking forward to sample a Neapolitan take on the fish. And I am not disappointed as the dish simply sings on the palate. The warm, buttery, flaky fish underneath that crispy skin combined with the subtle flavours of the mushroom and the crunch of the nuts come together really well. The memories of the dish stay with you long after the meal has been done and dusted with.

A meal for two at Sorrento will cost you Rs 5,000 plus taxes (without alcohol)