Restaurant Week India at Serafina

Restaurant Week is a unique international event aimed at bringing fine dining closer to a larger section of diners. Restaurant Week India, which started in 2010, is the largest and the most popular pan-India culinary event, where customers have the choice to dine at some of India’s finest restaurants at a fraction of a la carte rates. It is a celebration of the culinary landscape in each city – a time for more and more foodies to explore and appreciate the finest restaurants. It kickstarted in Mumbai and after its huge popularity moved to Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and finally Kolkata as of September 2015. It is a bi-annual event.

Restaurant Week India has started on 22^nd April and will go on till 1^st May. Twelve of Kolkata’s fine dining restaurants are participating in it. In each of them, a person can enjoy a set three-course menu with plenty of vegetarian or non-vegetarian options at a special price of Rs 900 plus taxes.

I and blogger Indrajit Lahiri were invited by Serafina, the famous Italian restaurant chain of New York, located at Quest, to sample their Restaurant Week menu.

The restaurant has a classy décor with wooden furniture and walls designed in a mix of brick theme and cream colour. We chose one of the two-seater tables lining the glass wall overlooking the outside. There is a neatly fenced dining area outside as well, with chairs and tables placed under canopies, simulating a European café experience.

Our table

We quenched our thirst with Twisted Orange Mojito recommended by the service staff. A herb-infused, refreshing fruit-based mocktail- ideal for the scorching weather now.

Twisted Orange Mojito

The set meal comprised of a starter, a main course dish and a dessert per person. As we were two, we ordered two different meals.

I and Indrajit chose Calamari and Assortiti Crostini Platter respectively for the starters from the special Restaurant Week menu. The former is part of their regular menu and the latter was one of the two signature appetizers created for the event. The crisp, thin batter-fried Calamari (Squid preparation in Italian cuisine) went well with the spicy tomato dip which resembled Bengali homemade chicken curry.

Calamari

The Assortiti Crostini Platter had four types of crostini (crisp baked bread with topping). I tried the one with ham and another with chicken. The ham was of top quality. The service staff said they were very particular about sourcing quality ingredients and use imported perma ham only. The creamy chicken mince mixed with a bit of mustard was yummy with oregano sprinkled by me on the top. Their regular menu has each of the four options separately.

Assortiti Crostini Platter

I walked to the other side of the entrance as we were waiting for the main course. There is a large open kitchen and bar counter adjacent to each other there. For those who come to enjoy drinks, there are high chairs and tables.

In mains, I chose Lasagne al Forno despite being a veg dish (since I wanted pasta and didn’t like to go for spaghetti which was the only staple in non-veg) and he picked Belgium Grilled Pork Chops from the two signature options. The Lasagne was a pretty big portion for one person. This spicy dish was tasty with a crunchy top and abundant veggies cooked with generous amount of cream and sauce between the pasta sheets.

 Lasagne al Forno

 The Belgium Grilled Pork Chops bowled us over! We were given toothed knives to cut the meat off the rib bone (It takes some effort; mind it, which will increase as much as the meat is allowed to get cold).The perfectly cooked pork with the belly fat lining was brilliant with the sweet and tangy sauce. It went well with the equally well-made mashed potato (with a thick, tasty sauce) and broccoli served with it. We were almost full by now.

 Belgium Grilled Pork Chops

I had quickly picked tiramisu and Indrajit had chosen Gelati Sorbetti for the dessert. The service staff said tiramisu was their specialty. When we tasted it, we knew the claim was justified. The tiramisu with cheese cream dripping from the top gave the palate the expected flourish, created by the cream and the soaked coffee and liqueur. Serafina was noted among the best tiramisu places by us. The gelato-sorbet combo served in an almond shell was equally good. The gelato paired well with the refreshing sorbet which had the perfectly mushy consistency with concentrated fruit juice- perfect for the weather.

 Tiramisu

 Gelati Sorbetti 

An epic meal after long! Serafina is strongly recommended as an option among the participating eateries in Restaurant Week Kolkata. Otherwise, for Italian, it is easily the go-to place in the premium segment.

#RestaurantWeekIndia #Serafina #ItalianCuisineKolkata #Tiramisu #PorkChop

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