Go Italiano at Scirocco There is a great deal of variety and the menu’s offerings are neatly classified into Antipasti (starters), Insalata (salad), Primi Piatti (first course), Secondi Piatti (second course) and desserts. By Reema Kamat, January 2006 Looking for an Italian repast? Head to Scirocco. Conveniently located along the busy Baga road right next to the Cafe Coffee Day outlet, this place is an al-fresco eatery that serves up Italian cuisine with a hint of Mediterranean influences.
The place also has a cozy bar that offers a selection of cocktails, shooters, wines and imported liquors along with mocktails, aerated drinks and hot beverages for the teetotallers. There is a great deal of variety and the menu’s offerings are neatly classified into Antipasti (starters), Insalata (salad), Primi Piatti (first course), Secondi Piatti (second course) and desserts. There is also a section dedicated exclusively to the innately Italian delight – Pizzas; more than 30 to be precise, unlike some other ‘Italian’ restaurants’ that include a trivial selection merely because they have to. What we love most is the graphic description of each dish under its name so that one can order exactly what he wants. We are ravenous when we get there and do not have to wait too long as our starters arrive quickly: Funghi Italiano (roasted mushrooms with garlic, lemon, parsley and extra virgin olive oil served with warm farmer’s bread) and Cocktail Di Gamberi (prawns in classic creamy cocktail sauce served with farmer’s bread). Both are suggestive of the taste churned out by a typically rustic Italian kitchen; cucina rustica, if I may. Accompanying them is the Insalata Gennarino (fresh tomato, lettuce, garlic, imported red and yellow capsicum, capers, olive oil, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar served with bread). With so many ingredients coming together in an otherwise modest-sounding salad, this sure is a burst of flavours in the mouth. In the pizzas, we try the Sufi, succinct in its name but full of game. Fresh tomato sauce and a generous topping of mozzarella forms the base for meaty spread of sausages, salami and ham. Enormous in circumference, this one tastes like a true-blue Italian wood-fired pizza. Extras like artichokes, asparagus, olives, capers, jalapeno peppers, sundried tomatoes, mushroom, anchovies and good old parmesan are available for those wanting to experiment with toppings. A proper Italian inventory. For the main courses, we try the Panna Funghi Piselli (pasta in cream sauce, green peas, mushroom and parmesan). There are a range of pastas available and you can choose your preference; we chose penne. We also try the Cacciatore (juice marinated chicken in herbs, cocked with olives, tomato, mushrooms served with roasted potatoes and bread). The chicken is succulent enough for the flavours of the other ingredients to permeate well. Too full, we opt out of dessert but with regret; there is quite a variety including classics like Tiramisu and Cream Caramel. To do justice to the variety, visit Scirocco when you’re really hungry and you won’t be disappointed. Scirocco is located at Sunshine Beach Resort, Calangute, Baga. Tel: 2276003, 9890170179. Courtesy: Investor Plus, Goa's first investment monthly tabloid, is published by Plus Publications. Editor: Ilidio de Noronha. Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Admin Office: E-2, S-2, Martins Enclave, Nr Syndicate Bank, Caranzalem, Goa. Tel: 2464687, 9422058131. R.O: 603, Shiv Towers, Patto Plaza, Panjim, Goa. Sister publications: Panjim Plus, The Capital's very own community monthly. Old Goa: The Complete Guide Getting Married in Goa: The Complete Guide (3rd edition to be released soon) _____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list (Goanet@goanet.org)