Toscano's unique flavours

After a fabulous wedding right here in Bangalore, our honeymoon in Italy bested my imagination. We explored the rosticerias, ristorantes, pizzerias, trattorias, birrerias, the hostarias and the pasticcerias. Back home, we found ourselves yearning for that feel of Venice. So when our friend recco’d this new Italian brasserie, we made a beeline for Toscano. Only to be told to come back over the weekend for a unique experience: a blackout dinner.

Relationships — between humans and with food — take on a different note in the dark as communication becomes more natural, more spontaneous. Amidst much laughter and guessing games, we began our dinner spread with a mixed salad (later identified as sliced pears, walnut, asparagus with rucola leaves and a red wine vinaigrette). The soup was served and a deep breath told us of the presence of thyme and garlic — and we were right, it was a spinach soup with those two flavourings.

The entree was a baked Camembert souffle with carrot and fennel mousse (didn’t score here in the guessing game). For the main course, we felt the pan-fried chicken breast and salmon with vegetable and prune jus, along with roasted potatoes with white truffle mushroom oil, with all senses but our eyes. To end the most unusual dinner happy, we had the trio of kahlua mousse, apple crumble and mango pannacotta.

Would it bear the sun, though? After sampling the Toscano Caesar, a lemon and thyme-marinated grilled fish and a cappuccino brulee from their set lunch menu a couple of days later, I was convinced that they needn’t hide in the dark.

This was the best from Italy, in India.

Toscano. The Collection: UB City, Level II, Concord Block, 24, Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore 1. Tel: 41738800. Prices: 3-course lunch menu is priced at Rs 400 per person. Dinner for two: Rs 1500. Call ahead for dates of blackout dinners.