New in Cyber Hub: Cicchetti by Mr Beans
My head always starts to spin a little everytime I am in Cyber Hub with no pre-decided place to dine in mind. There's just too many choices! However, on my last visit, I could easily rule out half of the places because they are franchise outlets of chains I've already tried in Delhi, and some more because they seemed too loud/pretentious for a Tuesday evening. Cicchetti by Mr. Beans seemed like a bit of a gamble but there was something delightfully inviting about this fancy-in-a-non-frilly way Italian place and I had to simply find out more.
My friend and I, both visibly tired after a full day of work were in dire need of a perk-me-up and decided to go for a Whiskey Sour and St. Germain Martini respectively. A classic is a classic, but it was the latter {a gin-based concoction with elderflower as its star ingredient} that won both of us over. A couple of other things I found intriguing on their quite extensive cocktail menu include the Ginger Baker with rum, ginger, pineapple, orjeat and lime and the Nutty Old Fashioned with scotch, bourbon, hazelnut liqueurs and orange bitters.
Our cocktail experience was so good not just because of the drinks, but also the fabulous accompaniments we chose from its bar nibbles as well as ‘small plates’ {also what Cicchetti means in Italian} sections. An in-house speciaility, the Smoking Cranberry Jalapenos Cream Cheese Dome came with crackers, raspberry relish and a healthy amount of theatrics. The smoky dome over the platter added a beautiful flavour to the cheese and made for a great Instagram story. Win-win! It went wondefully with our drinks. The Stuffed Olive and Pepper Rolls {a platter of roasted red peppers with olive tapenade and herbs and roasted yellow peppers with cream cheese} though extremely appetizing-looking, were not my cup of tea.
As a true blue pasta lover, Cicchetti's menu got me excited like a little kid. I went for the Mushroom and Goat Cheese Ravioli as it sounded like a safe bet {and was delicious AF with a yummy tomato-orange consomme} and the Goth Aglio Olio Linguine for the sake of adventure. The goth part of it comes from the fact that the linguine's dough had charcoal and so the pasta comes out black and hence, ten times more fun. Taste-wise, however, it was just like a regular but extremely well-made, soul-satisfying aglio olio. I especially loved the plating! Speaking of which, Cicchetti has a lovely way of plating their dishes with tiny details and an unusual play of colours.
We ended the evening with a Deconstructed Lemon Tiramisu, a hearty dessert full of lemony delights in unexpected forms, with a pleasant hint of basil on the side. Highly recommended!
Cicchetti's chef and the staff are super nice to engage with and extremely helpful in helping you pick the dishes and also tell you about the why's and how's, especially if your knowledge of Italian cuisine is as limited as mine {hey, I'm learning everyday too}. As a staunch advocate of post-work socialising, I suggest you grab your work buddies and go here for a cocktails and conversations whenever you get a chance!
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