SPIGA (St. Marks Road)

Spiga has always been one of my favorite restaurants in Bangalore. It was located in a quaint little house on Vittal Mallya road and has now shifted to the more spacious 4th floor of the Halycon Building on St. Marks Road. I must have visited Spiga a gazillion times and have not been disappointed by the food. The menu has been the same, with a few tweaks here and there and thank the lord for that. I went in the afternoon this time with a couple of friends from work. The place has a Mediterranean feel to it with the whole whitewashed effect – quite pleasant and serving as an excellent backdrop for the colorful food. I’ve seen it at night as well, fairy lights and pleasant alfresco dining add to a lovely view of the city lights. The only grouse I’ve always had is the music is too loud near the bar area. Comon guys … it’s a lounge NOT a discotheque. However a few tipples and all is forgotten and forgiven ;)

We ordered the Noodle Wrapped Prawns as a starter along with the Panzanella Salad for the vegetarian in the group. Both were excellent. The prawns nice and juicy were wrapped in flat noodles and deep fried. The panzanella salad was fresh and zingy with balsamic vinegar and the lovely feta cheese crumbled over it gave it the balance required. We would have loved to have a cool Kingfisher with our food but they don’t have it on the menu. They had a Foster’s promo running which dint cut it with us, so we settled for the Basil and Lemon Cooler. They do have a fully stocked bar which serves wines and cocktails but that story is for another day.

For Main course I had the Olive Fish - Sear fish in a white wine and green olive sauce served with spinach rice and hassleback potatoes. My friend had the Bacon wrapped fish. You would think the salt in both the bacon and the fish would be overwhelming but a hint of the sweet orange sauce makes it work. The vegetarian in the group opted for the Pasta Vegitali – nice zesty tomato cream sauce. He ordered something ‘light’ to save room for the dessert but it was quite a generous portion. My other foodie friend ordered Pasta with Bacon in a cream sauce – not quite your Carbonara… but similar and satisfying. Coming to dessert (yes, you dint think we would leave without dessert did you??). We asked the waiter to get us all the desserts on the menu (OK, there are only four.. he he). Unfortunately they dint have the Blueberry Cheesecake that day so we had to make do and share three by four. The Oreo Cheesecake is to die for, though everyone agreed that the surprise package was the Fig and Toffee Pie – simply divine. The Chocolate Mudcake (was it?) was good as well and would have been an excellent dessert if it did not stand out in poor comparison to its other siblings!

So on the whole a most pleasant and ‘full’filling experience.

P.S. The parking sucks but they have valet…

SPIGA
No. 9, Halcyon Complex, 4th Floor
St. Marks Road (Above Rangoli Sarees) Bangalore.
PH: 42110469, 42110470
Multi Cuisine. Open for lunch and dinner. Bar Attached. Accept Credit Card.
Price Point – Rs:1400/- for two (Starter, Main course, Dessert and non-alcoholic beverage)

Prawns in Garlic Butter

Like most seafood dishes this one is non fussy and just divine tasting. Well, the fate of anything doused in butter is sealed – the final result has to be Fantabulous! I use fresh prawns which I clean and devein myself… yes its fishy business, but somebody’s got to do it. Frozen prawns are fine as well, but it tends to be less juicy. Prawns can be just as easily substituted with mussels, lobster, crayfish or calamari. You can eat this as a starter or serve it on top of homemade fettuccine. Either way it’s a weekday winner. Well anything you can whip up in 10 minutes flat should be right??

Prawns in Butter Garlic
 
Prep time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 5 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

400 gms Shrimp

4 Tbsp Butter

25-30 cloves Garlic

1 Tbsp Mustard paste

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

8-10 Peppercorns

A few sprigs Parsley

Salt (if needed)

What to do:

Wash and drain cleaned shrimps thoroughly. Chop parsley finely, keep aside. Crush peppercorns. Grind garlic to a rough paste. Heat butter in a pan with a dash of oil and fry garlic paste briefly. Add prawns, mustard paste, lemon juice, peppercorns and salt. Cook uncovered on low heat till the prawns are cooked. Add chopped parsley and remove from heat when the moisture dries up and serve hot.

Too good to be true Pesto

 What would you say, if I told you that I had the best Pesto recipe ever??!! Impossible right, cause I’m not even Italian, nor can I trace any of my roots to that hallowed land of food. (Ya, sometimes I dream I was Italian, eating their food everyday … bliss, bliss.) But I DO have the best pesto recipe. The result of trial, error, trial, error, consultation of many books and amalgamation of the best tips from the net – I give to you – Too Good to be True Pesto. I can’t even tell you it kicks store bought pesto’s ass because that would be like comparing a diamond to a piece of coal! I’m not claiming its authentic, I’m not even claiming that its by the book, but what it is, is heavenly green awesomeness that I could wrap my tongue around and ride off into the sunset with! Am I getting carried away? No, No, No… when you’ve found the holy grail of pesto’s wouldn’t you be shouting it out from the mountain tops? Here’s to my beloved Pesto – I love you, I do.  

Too Good to be True Pesto

Prep time: 20 mins

Cooking time: Nil

Serves: 4 (for pasta)

What you need:

1/3 cup Pine Nuts/ Almonds (I like Almonds better)

2 cups fresh Basil leaves, finely packed

1/3 cup Olive Oil (good quality)

4 cloves Garlic (med)

1/3 - 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

40 gms Butter, softened

1/2 - 3/4th Tbsp Sea Salt, depending on taste
Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

What to do:

Place almonds in a dry pan, stir under moderate heat till lightly toasted. Or microwave for 1 min, stir in-between once. Place in a food processor and give it a whir till you get small pieces. Add basil leaves, garlic and sea salt. Process for 20 secs or until you can still see micro mini pieces of the basil leaves. DO NOT process till pasty. For best results I would use a mortar and pestle, but on busy days the processor can be used intelligently. Transfer to a bowl. Add parmesan cheese, butter and pepper. Mix well. Now here’s the best bit - add ½ the olive oil and mix with the pesto. The remaining oil can be poured on top of the pesto. This protects the green color. Now sit and admire!

To serve with Pasta: Drain 500 gms of cooked pasta, (I’ve used whole wheat spaghetti) add the prepared pesto. (I go by three tsps per serving). Toss with more Olive Oil if required. Serve immediately. Sprinkle extra parmesan if you want to indulge.

Note: Pesto sauce can be made in large quantities for later use. It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to a week (covering it with a thin layer of olive oil preserves the color) if you keep in a glass jar with a well fitting lid.
If you want it to last longer, avoid mixing in the butter (as the butter can turn rancid). You can always mix in some fresh butter just before serving.

Pesto can also be stored in the freezer and will retain its color and flavor. Thaw in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before use.