Restaurant Review: Molto Bello

Tucci Balsamico pizza at Molto Bello

Despite our proximity to the coast, Mumbai has a shocking lack of sea-front restaurants. Which is why Molto Bello, a week-old Italian restaurant on Carter Road, can be forgiven for resembling a Goan shack more than an Italian marquee. Just to be able to feel the salty sea breeze coursing through the al fresco setting is an advantage that sets apart Molto Bello from other eateries in the neighbourhood (though until the monsoons abate, it’s been covered with a canopy).

The restaurant is managed by Hyacinth Lifestyle, the people who gave Mumbai its first ice lounge, 21 Fahrenheit in Andheri. The executive chef, Anikesh Barapatra, who spent 11 years as a chef on a cruise ship in the US, is also head chef here, overseeing the extensive menu which is split into pizzas, bruschetta, main courses and pasta. For our appetiser, we ordered the jalapeno and chicken mousse bruschetta, which was less of a bruschetta and more of an open-faced sandwich with a chicken-mayo spread. Despite the wayward interpretation of this Italian classic, we enjoyed the slightly spicy mixture, topped with mushrooms dipped in balsamic reduction. The chef’s proclivity for balsamic vinegar became apparent with his pizza recommendation. Molto Bello serves woodfire pizzas slathered with fresh tomato sauce and a hint of basil. Ours, the tucci balsamico, was a veggie feast with generous amounts of broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers and mushrooms, doused in a balsamic reduction, which after a slice or two got too overwhelming.

In addition to its snug setting, Molto Bello scores points for having attentive and well-informed staff who handle food queries competently and are even trained to make recommendations.While choosing pasta, our decision was guided entirely by what sounded unusual, and we settled on the ravioli di zucca ed oregano, which translates to oven-roasted pumpkin and oregano-stuffed raviloli with asparagus and creamy white sauce. The pumpkin was a good change from the usual spinach and ricotta (which they also serve). Its sweetness was nicely offset by the creaminess of the white sauce with crunchy bits of asparagus whipped into it. Only the pasta casings could have been a tad thinner.

From a selection of grills for the main course, we chose the pollo con la salsa di vino and were served a generous platter of chargrilled chicken stuffed with mushrooms and parmesan and drizzled with a wine and mushroom reduction. We demolished the chicken, which left little room for the oven-roasted, rosemary-dusted cajun potatoes that came on the side. Dessert was the strawberry panna cotta, which could have done without its thin film of sour strawberry jelly, but was light enough to allow our palates to recover from the preceding onslaught of flavours. We’d like to see Molto Bello survive the astronomical rents and crazy competition of Carter Road. Based on our first experience, we’re definitely going back.

A meal for two costs approximately Rs1,500.

LocationMolto Bello
Next to Cafe Coffee Day
Carter Road
Bandra (West)

Phone2648 9232

HoursDaily, noon to midnight