The Best Pasta In Bangalore

I know Le Cirque is fantastic but I haven’t been to the Bangalore one since moving back here. As a result, it’s been over a year and a half since I have had good pasta at a restaurant. The place at the Marriott was decent but not memorable. Everyone talks about Chianti but I think it’s quite atrocious. 

A good pasta is a simple thing. But it’s bloody hard to make. Every ingredient needs to be fabulous and be allowed to shine. The pasta itself should be fresh and not too soft and not too chewy. It should be cooked al dente. And it should transport you to a simple place in Italy. Not a fancy restaurant but a village in Tuscany, or a small family run place in Florence. 

I had been hearing stories about a young designer at Uber called Anurag Arora who moonlights as a chef. A guy who apparently made the best pasta in Bangalore, one of the few Napolitan pizzas in the country and some incredible deserts. I reached out to try and order some food and he suggested I come home for lunch instead. 

I had an incredible meal. Every single thing was superb. The poee he made in a bread oven. The creamy burrata. The bitter coffee sauce that cut into the chocolate and rum pannacotta. But it was the pasta that was the big winner. This is a guy who has spent time traveling in Italy and learning how to cook. He has learnt to respect ingredients. And most importantly he has learnt the beauty of simplicity in cooking. This guy needs to open a pasta bar and soon. Just outstanding.

I ate: 

- Poee with Gochujang butter and confit garlic butter. 

- Burrata with olive oil, sea salt and pepper

- Fresh handkerchief pasta, walnut sauce and confit egg yolk 

- Chicken, parmesan and truffle Brodo with basil oil 

- Chocolate and rum pannacotta with coffee sauce and cookie crumb