Ever since it opened at South City Mall, Veneto has been a popular destination for Italian food. So when they host a 10-day pop-up curated by chef Priyam Chatterjee, the first Indian chef to be honoured with the Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole, it becomes a must-visit.
Born in Calcutta, the chef who picked up the art of Italian food from Matteo Grandi (a Michelin-star chef), has curated an exceptionally good and authentic Italian menu of over 30 dishes that is not dominated by white sauce. “The menu is a culmination of my memories of eating Italian food for the first time, my travels to Italy, meeting Italian people, having Italian friends, knowing about them, and challenging how similar Italian and Bengalis are. I am also super fascinated by post World War II, Italians moving to America and giving them the Chicago-style Italian food which is more bubbly and peppy. The menu is more of what I personally love to eat,” said chef Priyam whose vivacious energy and presence one could feel right from the time you entered the restaurant.
t2 took a trip down the bylanes of Italy through chef Priyam's food and here's what we loved.
Satrajit Sen, Nicolas Facino, director of Alliance Française du Bengal, Satrajit Sen Rigatoni is a delicious vegetarian dish on the menu that made with “traditional paccheri sauce” and pecorino cheese that’s made with sheep milk and is a hard and has a salty taste. “Embarking on this remarkable culinary journey with chef Priyam Chatterjee for our exclusive 10-day pop-up at Veneto Bar and Kitchen has been an extraordinary delight. We are privileged to have such an exceptional talent on board, whose culinary prowess and passion for gastronomy are evident in every dish he creates. Chef Priyam’s presence has elevated our establishment, and we’re honoured to showcase his creativity and expertise to our cherished patrons,” Vanita and Amit Bajoria, owners of Veneto. Acharapan Yavaprapas, consul general of Thailand Truly Milanese is a proper hearty deep-fried chicken cutlet with vegetarian green peas, ricotta and mint on top that makes it a filling dish. There is no other way to conclude an Italian food feast without digging into a perfect cheesecake and My Sweet Craving is chef’s special cheesecake that has an interesting berry filling inside and crisp short crust on top. Take a spoon, break into and dig in! Nicolas Facino, director of Alliance Française du Bengal
(l-r) My Summers in Sardinia is a Sardinian prawn dish that has prawns doused in herbs, olive oil, garlic and accompanied by bread on the side. “I have been to anywhere in Italy but Sardinia is special and this dish has all the Sardinian ingredients and style of cooking,” said Priyam. Truly Milanese is a proper hearty deep fried chicken cutlet with vegetarian green peas, ricotta and mint on top makes its a filling dish