Here's everything you need to know about this new restaurant in Bandra

Conceptualised by sisters Ankita Bhatia and chef Harshita Bhatia, the duo brings together their individual passions for cooking and hosting. As the lift opens, clichés begin — sombre-looking busts, walls pasted with Italian imagery, larger-than-life but pixelated. The bar ceiling is a Sistine Chapel inspiration of The Creation of Adam where the hand pours wine.  The curtains with prints of foliate and arched window frames lend a breezy touch. Classic masterpieces have been given a modern remix.

Salami Piccante with San Marzano tomato, curd-like textured Fior di Latte

We are welcomed with a bouquet of complimentary Breadstick Foliage — tomato chilli, cheese and plain. We eat the slender stalks alternately with the side of olives. We eat the slender stalks alternately with the side of olives. For company, we sip on a crisp house-made Limoncello Spritzer (Rs 850).  The liquid indulgence continues with a Minestrone Soup (Rs 490), with fava beans, in a tomato broth and zucchini and carrot ribbons stuffed with parmesan. It’s a clean, comforting offering.

Limoncello Spritzer (right) Duke’s Martini

The Barbabietola e Formaggio di Capra (Rs 850; roasted beetroot salad) comes with soft parcels of goat cheese, orange slices, and crunch of pistachio. The candied beetroot is bitter. The company of Arugula leaves amplifies the pungency. The Crostini ai Funghi (Rs 690) with a generous piping of wild mushroom pate with a grilled mushroom for garnish on a buttery crisp cracker is Italian sev puri. We polish it off in a greedy bite.

The restaurant is spread across 6,000 square feet with a lounge section for visitors to linger. Pics/Shadab Khan

The Gamberi alla Griglia (Rs 750; char-grilled prawns) come on a bed of tomato sauce. This reappears multiple times in the course of our meal. Gigli all’Arrabbiata (Rs 650) has the same tomato sauce landing but we enjoy the hand-rolled lily shaped pasta. The monotony gets a breather with Duke’s Martini (Rs 950), which is stiff with gin, fino sherry and bianco vermouth. The olives are replaced by a slice of carrot pickled in spices. Overall, the cocktails are well-balanced and presentable.

Chef Harshita and Ankita Bhatia have designed a wallpaper with cats

From the pizzas, first up is the Quattro Formaggi (Rs 850), topped with blue cheese, smoked scamorza, pecorino and mozzarella. It has the sweetness of aged balsamic and honey but honestly, it could be cheesier. The Salami Piccante with San Marzano tomato, curd-like textured Fior di Latte (Rs 900) cheese and juicy meat, is unapologetically indulgent. It delivers a perfect slice. The Risotto di Barbabietola al Caffè (R830) is beetroot risotto with a subtle hint of coffee infusion. It lands as an amateurish kitchen trick. 

The desserts arrive, and thankfully, make up for the misses in the mains. Harshita scoops us a Tiramisu (R690) from a deep dish tray. The savoiardi (Naples biscuits) are chef’s secrets she mastered over the years. It’s moist but soggy, and gives a wholesome bite of espresso and kahlua with a creamy cloud of mascarpone drenched in cocoa dust.

For the Cornetto Semifreddo (Rs 650), the eggs, whipped cream and sugar have been folded with an additional ingredient of croissant bread, making the mousse ice cream-like classic richer. Served with croissant crisps and a jammy berry, it is a sweet and zesty farewell.

AT Adelina,  Linking Road, Bandra West.
TIME 7 pm to 12 am  
CALL 9920050333