Light and luscious

Namita Gupta goes French for a day and tries out two new hangoutsu2013Orange Peel and Mama Mia

Namita Gupta goes French for a day and tries out two new hangoutsu2013Orange Peel and Mama Mia

A cobbled pathway leads up to an open courtyard scattered with tables. Conversation flows easily and appetizing aromas waft out of the kitchen of this serene bungalow as chef and co-owner Vikram Udayagiri conjures up flavourful soups, crisp salads and delightful desserts.

Orange Peel serves Euro-Asian cuisine, where the methods of cooking are very French. Chef Faseeulla handles the Indian kitchen.u00a0u00a0

Our meal begins with roasted chicken soup, with chunks of chicken and vegetables. The pickled salmon salad sounded interesting, but I opted for Orange Caesar salad, which turned out to be crunchy and tasty. For starters, we had Dukkah crusted lamb, marinated in Egyptian spices and served with a honey glaze. The yogurt dip, served alongside, was refreshing.u00a0

My companion loved the basil tossed chicken or cubes of chicken marinated in blanched basil puree and grilled to perfection. The chicken came with a paprika yogurt dip.u00a0

Having heard legendary tales of John Dory at Orange Peel, I decided to sample some. Much to my delight, it just melted in my mouth. The mushroom cream sauce, poured generously over the fish fillet, was divine.u00a0

Orange Peel offers exclusive cocktails and mocktails made with Movenpick ice cream, but I opted for Baquiri, a fruit sorbet served chilled with a hint of lime.u00a0u00a0

What's hot: Try the set lunch, which is a huge hit with working people who stop by for lunch. At Rs 195 (plus taxes), the restaurant offers or a four-course menu with starter, salad, main course and dessert. There's a kid's meal page on the menu, which is a rather thoughtful move. Orange Peel is hosting Carnival of Venice (Feb 12-28), which features live art, theme nights and a raffle draw with a custom-designed Vespa scooter as the prize besides sumptuous food.u00a0u00a0

What's not: The French cuisine on the menu gets the thumbs up, but one of the Indian dishes, Gosht ki pasliyan dhaniyan wali, can have you frantically looking for a fire extinguisher.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
Wallet factor: Meal for two Rs 1500 (with drinks).u00a0u00a0

At: Orange Peel, 8, Hospital Road (behind Safina Plaza), Infantry Road.
Ph: 4113 0211/ 4210 9559.

Get creamed!
Gelato Parlour has re-launched Mama Mia, its flagship store in Indiranagar, with an amazing range of fat-free cream gelato, fruit sorbets and sugar-free gelato.

Mama Mia gelato uses only vanilla beans and fruit pulp imported from Italy. The flavours include cheesecake, ferrero rocher, baileys, caramel custard, cookie dough, snickers, apple crumble and tiramisu. Fresh blueberries, passion fruit, raspberries and strawberries find their way into the fruit sorbets. Other attractions on the menu are gelato sundaes like espresso shot and chocolate fondue. There's a wide variety of thick shakes in flavours like Kit Kat, black forest and muddy cookie.u00a0u00a0

What's hot: The idea of being able to gorge on ice creams, without having to worry about calories is uplifting.u00a0

What's not: Where did the bubble-gum flavour go? We really miss it.u00a0u00a0

Wallet factor: Mama Mia gelato is priced at Rs 55 a scoop, the sundaes are priced between Rs 99-Rs 149, and the milkshakes are at Rs 69.u00a0
At: 302, 6th Main, 4th Cross, Indiranagar.u00a0