Authentic cuisine: A Venetian getaway in the heart of the city

Meal at the pizzeria can cost around Rs1,000 per head, while meal in fine dining section will cost Rs1,500 or more.

ISLAMABAD:

Walking in through the gates of Barolo, the latest addition to the list of fine dining locations in the city, one would have expected the obvious candlelit indoor arrangement. But then, one would have been completely off the mark.

At Barolo’s launch in sector F-8 on Friday, it was not just the pizza that was Italian. Nida Ali, the owner of Barolo, actually brought a slice of Venice to Isloo. The restaurant has indoor seating in a single story building with a separate glass-walled pizzeria set up in the back, but it’s the pool next to the pizzeria that caught every eye that came in. There are five stationary gondolas set up to seat four people each, around a bridge leading to a romantic table for two on a little island in the centre of the pool, the walls around it showing a cityscape of the city of bridges.

Rezz of Rezz Events was impressed by the decor and expressed his happiness at “the new places opening in Isloo”.

“We have seen so many outlets and eating places open over the last few years, which shows the growth of the capital as a metropolis,” he added.

The menus for the fine dining sections and the pizzeria will be varied. Beyond the obvious listing of authentic Italian-style pizzas on the menu, the pizzeria — which will open from next weekend and will operate from noon to 5pm — will also serve burgers and snacks, with the smoked salmon burgers a standout on the menu.

While the pizzeria is furnished with cane chairs, the formal seating arrangement in the main fine dining area — complete with a private room for those uncomfortable around prying eyes — is ideal for dinners.

A meal at the pizzeria can cost around Rs1,000 per head, while a meal in the fine dining section will cost Rs1,500 or more.

Leather-quilted doors in the fine dining area welcome guests into the cigar room, equipped with comfortable couches and lounge-like seating, which would attract anyone, cigar aficionado or not.

Nida Ali said that it will have its own menu from next week and will operate from noon to 11pm. However, for this week it will only be open during hours when the fine dining hall is operating: noon to 3pm for lunch and 7pm to 11pm for dinner.

“This is definitely my new hangout spot. It is ideal for anyone who wants an exclusive setting for a casual evening,” said fashion designer Pashmina Ahmed, while appreciating the delectable testers served at the launch, including Italian-style pizzas, fettuccini in white sauce, bruschetta, and stuffed mushrooms and salmon salad on toothpicks.

Socialites, diplomats, bureaucrats came for the launch of the new Italian restaurant. Light Italian music was playing in the background as the guests mingled and checked the place out.

For authentic Italian approval, The Express Tribune sought out Fredrico Bianchi, the head of the economic and commercial office at the Italian embassy.  He said he “really liked” the set up and found it innovative. Bianchi, who is fond of cooking, also approved of the authentic Italian food label, saying, “There is no overdoing of the spices...it’s very simple and tastes like actual Italian food.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2012.