Alla Bella Mozzarella, Kolkata

How can I not love the cuisine which is responsible for introducing Potatoes, Tomatoes and Bell peppers to us! I am talking about the Italian food which I love for the typical character of simple cooking and naturally, when my blogger friend Dolon asked me to join her at Alla Bella Mozzarella which is a Kolkata based Italian food joint, I gladly accepted. Apart from Dolon, Poorna was also there along with Pooja and Kinkini so you can imagine how perfect the Italian luncheon was on a Sunday with my blogger friends. Alla Bella Mozzarella is the newly opened food joint in Kolkata that offers authentic Italian food and is located at Ballygunge area, in fact opposite the famous 6 Ballygunge Place. They are known for the use traditional wood fire oven to make many of the dishes that they offer which includes Pizza and Chocolate fondant which is their specialty as well.

Our Lunch started with two refreshing Mocktails: a house special Sweet lime and a Cranberry punch, I, however, opted for the former and ended on having two servings. The entire course was divided into the typical structure of Antipasti, Pasta, Pizza, Secondo and Dolce.

Coming to the starters we were served with three dishes; Pollo Fritto or Crumb fried Chicken with a truffle of mascarpone; this dish was for me the best out of the three starters. The chicken was perfectly spiced and the mascarpone sauce was on the right note.

Next was a fresh Caeser salad prepared with smoked Chicken, Iceberg Lettuce, Croutons and Parmigiano. I found the salad quite good where veggies were perfectly balancing with the crunchy croutons.

The last item served as a starter was a platter of a bite-sized cheese stuffed Salmon which is named as Tre Formaggi di Salmone. I, however, does not like this dish a much given I found the stuffing quite flat and as a whole, the Salmon bites unnecessarily simple.

An Italian spread is incomplete without Pasta and naturally we were served with the same and in fact, we were served with two different types of Pasta. The first variety was an Egg, Parsley, Bacon and Parmigiano loaded Fettucine Carbonara. The Pasta was cooked till the exact point which we call "Al Dente" and juicy and the balance of meat and carbohydrate was perfect.

The next item served was a 12" Pizza with smoked chicken, rosemary, onion, and garlic. Now in Kolkata, for us, Pizza means what we get at the typical Pizza points but what you get in Alla Bella Mozzarella is a bit different, more authentic and simple. The crust was perfect with the topping and greens and a moderate layer of cheese.

Followed by the Pizza, we were served with a traditional lamb Lasagna which for me the best of the lot. We were almost full after having the above-mentioned spread but couldn't resist but to have the cheesy Lasagna.

The main course ended with another serving of Pasta. Though we were almost full but had our portion of Spaghetti with Parmesan coated Chicken which was moderately good but to be very frank after having so much of food we wouldn't be able to have more than a spoonful of this.

The lunch ended on a sweet note with what they call Wood -fired Chocolate fondant which is nothing but molten chocolate cake with Vanilla ice-cream. The cake was crunchy from outside with a gooey inside and in fact, rich hot chocolate was coming out from the cake and the same is paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It indeed was the dessert that asked us to say "All's well that ends well"!

I found the serving size was quite good in all the cases and 1 plate of each is sufficient for two people. When it comes to the pocket pinch Alla Bella Mozzarella is obviously having a modest range. For two people, it may cost around INR 1000- INR 1200 which I think quite decent if we consider the Italian food options in Kolkata. A Sunday afternoon with almost no empty table is probably the well-accounted reason to justify the food taste and cost as well as the service. If you are nearby Ballygunj and love to have Italian food, Alla Bella Mozzarella is for sure a must try. In addition to this, they are having the option of home delivery available as well.