This restaurant has been on our wishlist for quite sometime now. In fact, today’s visit was also totally unplanned. We decided to go to Lloyd’s Tea House and actually entered the restaurant. It was packed and just two tables were vacant. The attitude of the waiters was not very welcoming. No greeting, no smile, they offered us a table and I should say the place was very cramped. In fact, there was a person sitting on a sofa next to the table we were offered, and he was hardly a feet or two away from it. I did not find it very appealing to sit in such an environment for about an hour or more. I felt it would probably be ok for a short-eat with friends, but not for a dinner with family. So we decided to go to Dario’s instead. That’s how this visit happened and I am very glad that it did.
As we entered, we were welcomed with a warm greeting and a smile. The seating was comfortable, and we chose a table in the adjoining room where the AC was a bit less cold. The ambience was very good, interiors done well and just rite. As we settled down, we had a look at the menu and started to order from a wide range of choices. The Italian names were a bit of tongue-twisters, but the description below in English helped to choose easily.
We ordered Minestrone soup and it was good. All the starters were absolutely tasty. We ordered Spinach and fresh cheese balls, Whole roasted mushrooms with lemon, garlic, parsley and extra-virgin olive oil, and Mexican style nachos with cheese sauce. The Mexican style nachos was very different and delicious.
We ordered a Dario’s pizza and a Risotto with mushrooms for the main course. We were served the pizza first and then, the risotto. Both of them were too good.
We were quite full now, but still wanted to taste the same desserts that we had at Tuscana. We were too curious to see which was better of the two. Ordered a panna cotta and Tiramisu for wife and kids and a black coffee for myself. The panna cotta was a shade better at Tuscana, but the Tiramisu was excellent here and couldn’t quite decide which one was better. I was told all the desserts here were egg-less and that is a plus for strict vegetarians.
I should mention that Mr. Mani who waited on our table made our evening extra-pleasant. Absolutely excellent service, polite and ready to suggest and help with choices.
I would rate this as one of the best restaurants for Italian food in Chennai, and if I would be thinking Italian Vegetarian, this will definitely be my choice.
Overall, a very memorable evening with family and a wonderful dinner ! I would certainly recommend this place to my friends.
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