Italian food is often reduced to its staples — pasta, pizza, and risotto — but this week at Sorrento, Shangri-La Eros’s fine-dining restaurant, Michelin-starred chef Riccardo Sculli is bringing Delhi a very different slice of south Italy--his hometown Calabria. The region, largely rural and blissfully untouched by mass tourism, is known for its vast coastline, sunset-perfect beaches, and its fiery seafood-forward cuisine.
At this five-day pop-up, chef Sculli — renowned for his seafood restaurant Gambero Rosso — brings the flavours of his childhood coasts to Delhi, showcasing signature dishes, while celebrating the simplicity and soul of rural Calabrian cooking.
Coming from a Calabrian family in Toronto, Sculli grew up watching his parents and grandparents cook — an experience that taught him to see food through two different worlds. Having last cooked at Sorrento in 2017, the chef says returning this time with “a more nuanced, expressive portrait of Calabria” to Delhi. “Calabrian cuisine has a character all its own — different from the well-known Tuscan or northern Italian dishes. In the north, cooking often leans on butter, rich sauces, and more structured preparations. In Calabria, it’s all about immediacy, freshness, and the harmony between land and sea.”
For the pop-up, the chef has curated a traditional Italian four-course meal that begins with an antipasto or appetizer, followed by a pasta or risotto primo, then a meat-based secondo, finally topped off with a sweet dolce (dessert).
We began our course with an antipasto: cold tuna tataki, served with cured tuna that’s lightly seared to form a thin brown crust while preserving its soft, reddish-pink centre. It came on a bed of sweet-and-spicy sauce with pickled red cabbage. The sauce, made from bergamot — one of Calabria’s signature ingredients — held its bright, tart flavour, pairing beautifully with the tender, chewy tuna. For non-fish enthusiasts, there was a refreshing contrast: a crunchy marinated vegetable salad dressed in a punchy vinegar-based dressing, with lettuce, oranges, and beetroots.
Next up was the 'Primi Piatti': a risotto made with Carnaroli rice, Hokkaido scallops, asparagus, and mandarin. The mandarin added a gentle tanginess to the dish, brightening the rich creaminess of the risotto, while the Hokkaido scallop — soft with a slight chew — paid homage to the Calabrian coast. The vegetarian option—a ricotta-stuffed tortello over cherry tomatoes and aubergine, highlighting one of Calabria’s most beloved vegetables.
The 'Secondo Piatto' offered a choice between a seared Farm Raised Chicken Breast with an orange-ginger–thyme sauce or a Pan-Seared Lamb Rack. The sliced lamb arrived on a bed of lamb reduction enriched with soy sauce, which added a subtle tang to the seared meat. It was paired with a hazelnut purée, cauliflower cream, and confit cherries. “This draws inspiration from Calabrian tradition, where bold, intense flavours are paired with simple, fresh ingredients from both the coast and mountains,” says the chef. “Hazelnuts reflect the region’s nut-growing heritage, the cherry brings natural sweetness, and the cauliflower offers a gentle, earthy counterpoint.”
Vegetarians were treated to his interpretation of Polpette di melanzane — fried aubergine with hazelnuts and red onions.
Beyond the set menu, chef Sculli unveils an à la carte selection celebrating Calabria’s shoreline, from bold seafood signatures like Tiger Prawns with sea urchin emulsion and burrata to Saffron Lobster paired with raspberries and soya.
Drawing from many worlds, chef Sculli cooks with simplicity and intuition. “It’s less about strict recipes and more about creating moments on the plate that feel natural, balanced, and honest — a philosophy that’s followed me from my childhood kitchen to the present.”
Available for lunch and dinner till November 30, at Sorrento, Shangri-La Eros, Janpath. The set menu is priced at ₹5,000 (excluding wine)
from Food https://ift.tt/1SeqiNX
0 Comments