New menu at Il Ponte to celebrate Hilton anniversary

By Cheranka Mendis

Marking its 25th anniversary celebrations, Hilton Colombo last week launched its new menu for Il Ponte with a list of special delectables chosen by Executive Chef Rohan Fernandopulle.

Unveiled at a media gathering last week, the dishes are uniquely Italian and is prepared to recipes that have been tweaked from the original to suite the local taste buds.

Starting from the crispy freshly baked garlic bread ‘Pane all’aglio’ and the bruschetta – a colourful traditional spiced chopped tomatoes and herbs mix on a golden brown crispy garlic bread, the meal is a true gastronomic journey touching on aspects of smell, taste, colour and feel. The food has been prepared to perfection so that individual ingredients could be tasted in every bite.

Following the starters the soup, a fancy sounding ‘zuppa di funghi porro’ – a wild mushroom and leek cream soup has a both tangy and creamy taste to it.

The antipasti, which means ‘before the meal,’ is the traditional first course of an Italian meal and at Il Ponte three choices of this is offered, all equally good. The dishes served are Green Il Ponte – a mixed leaf salad with sundried tomatoes, feta cheese and kalamata olives tossed with passion fruit and balsamic dressing, Carpaccio which is a traditional beef carpaccio with grilled marinated mushroom and aged parmesan flakes with olive oil and the Tartara di Salmone, marinated salmon tartar with pan fried blue water prawn dressed with green herb olive oil. The last two are delicious, especially the latter which had a very unique taste to it.

Four types of pasta and risotto are also introduced as part of the new menu. The sea food risotto was a thick and creamy dish while the Fettuccine capelle (tuna cooked with olive oil, chilli garlic and anchovy) had a hint of spice to it. A lobster ravioli with shrimp and anchovy sauce is also on the menu.

Perhaps the best is the Pumpkin ricotta with truffle cream. Cooked in a little action station so that no one misses the sight of the dish which Chef Fernandopulle says is one of their very special dishes for the anniversary, the ricotta after being cooked is dipped in to a wheel of parmesan cheese where the chef prepares it further before serving it. It really is as special as he said, with the taste of the ricotta being unique and delectable. The blue mountain pizza, the new entrant in the pizza range is also a must try.

The main course or the ‘secondi piatti’ also has three new dishes introduced. Titled as Pollo all valdostana, Gamberi arancino al burri con peperoncino and branzino alle verdure; the first is a dish of breast of chicken in tomato sauce, cured ham and mozzarella, the second is a pan fried tiger prawns cooked in olive oil, garlic chilli flakes and tomato and last is a fillet of sea bass on a bed of carrot puree and basil. The carrot puree was almost sweet with a piquant aftertaste while the tiger prawn dish is a must try for anyone.

After tasting all of the above, needless to say one may feel quite a bit “stuffed.” However passing up the dessert here is a crime- a combination platter- of thick and creamy chocolate mousse with strawberries, a piece of cake with layers of ice cream sprinkled with candid fruits, a truly sinful indulgence which would set fire to your taste buds and a bowl of strawberries flambéed with balsamic vinegar which takes the feel of fruits and desserts to a whole new level is a must have.

The desserts are easily the best part of any meal. However at Il Ponte, this is an understatement. The few who were complaining of stuffed stomachs set a record gobbling the last three up. The portions were all so different but it certainly lifted the bar for desserts in Colombo.

The new menu will be on for the rest of the year at the restaurant. As a part of their anniversary celebrations, other restaurants at the hotel too will see new menus launched within the year.