This one straight out of Tuscan and Sicily in Surat is a surreal trip for the gourmet taste buds. The story goes long way back when we first sampled their menu a few years ago – it was fancy but lacked authenticity. Talk about getting your act together, this fine dine place has come a long way.

After all Leonardo, the original genius never failed to amuse the world at large.

Ready to be surprised, we started our big hunger lunch with low on carbs (well ostensibly) potato skins. They came sitting fat on a thin China, packed with flavor and lust and we devoured them like nobody’s business. Next we sampled the ultimate comfort food – Jalapeno cheese flood. No prizes for guessing what got us high in that dish. Don’t forget to ask for extra cheese dip from the generous chef.

And since it wasn’t a pizza kind of day, we conveniently ignored the king of Italian fast food. After much bickering we settled on two pastas and a risotto. Our Fettuccine Salsa di Lemone looked lovely like the curls of Goldilocks and made us go giddy with delight. And just when we started missing the tang, the gang ordered for Penne Paprika. Stuffed but not entirely doozy, we asked for a helping of Risotto Giordano – it came in style full of colors and left us tipsy with a hangover (a good one) of Italian spices.

There’s a large fare to choose from – how else do you justify yourself to the demanding Surtis. The interiors are plush white – too bright for our taste but what the hell. The food makes up for everything. Also saying “Hello” is Mr. Vinci hanging on the wall, all the time judging you while you are stuffing yourself crazy with all that non-detox food (double negatives!). Go there for yourself if not him.

A meal for 4 costs ~2000 INR. Fair Enough for La Dolce Vita.

Getting there: International Business Centre (IBC) Ground Floor, No. 13, Near Big Bazaar Piplod, Surat, Gujarat 395007