Food Review: Cafe Blue Tomato

Rajouri Garden, New Delhi

The Blue Tomato Cafe, is a venture started by Chef Dheeraj Mangothra who completed his culinary education in Italy. So no prizes for guessing that the place is a Cafe serving pure Italian cuisine, that perfectly takes care of the Indian taste buds. It is very strategically located in  Rajouri garden, however away from the hustle and rush of the main market there. Why I call it strategic is since West Delhi had absolutely no good cafe that served good Italian food. That becomes precisely the reason I couldn't wait to go there and try it for myself.

The interiors are very young and chick. I loved the fact that it is well lit and done up in a very lively manner. When a restaurant has the guts to keep itself well lit, you can be sure of one thing, it will not compromise on cleanliness and neatness. It has framed posters of retro singers, funny quotations and one half of a wall is full of beautiful destinations around the world. Very Creative! (Photos also attached). 
They have very comfortable seating and they haven't tried to cramp the place up to accommodate more people. One can sit there for a long time not just to eat, but socialize and catch up with a group of friends.

Once we reached, we were extremely thirsty so I asked Chef Dheeraj as to what I should order. Its not like we were given special treatment, this is his regular practice. He himself tries taking as many orders as he can, so that he can completely understand as to what the guest really wants, and THAT is a great thing. So he suggested me to go with The Cafe Blue Tomato Refresher. For Main course we ordered a Cheese Kicker Pasta, a Pasta verdure and  Chilli Potato Cigarolls with Sweet cabbage salad. We also ordered a Chicken Satay , a Piccata Milenaise and a Garden Vegetable Pizza. 

In came the refresher, and trust me it was the most refreshing drink I have had till date. The flavor of mint and ginger just came through perfectly. It had the right amount of fizz and sweetened to perfection. I took a sip and it was like all my senses were instantly happy and smiling.

Next was the Cheese Kicker pasta. First of all, it was sinful as the description suggested, It was loaded with cheese, the best part was however that there was no compromise on flavors. The use of herbs was ample. I could taste and smell the basil used in the preparation. It had a good amount of fresh vegetables used in it, which made the pasta a lovelier experience for me. 

The Chilly Potato Cigarolls were lovely diagonally cut pieces of a herbed and spiced potato and cheese mix filled in a thin roll of flour, and fried to golden brown. This starter was served with a sweet chilly dip. I loved it because even if the dip is not taken, the starter had enough flavor in it. When you bite into it, the cheesiness comes through and the potato holds it together. Perfect texture.

The Garden Vegetable Pizza was an absolutely thin crust pizza, baked in a Brick oven, topped with lots of fresh vegetables. There was just appropriate cheese and the pizza sauce was nicely spiced. The best part was the fact that the pizza base was a wheat one. It was 80% wheat and 20% flour to be precise. So one can eat and feel no guilt.

The highlight of the vegetarian dishes for me was however the Pasta Verdure. Pesto sauce is not something that everyone gets right, however it was just way too flavorful. Ample amount of basil had gone into it and that could be felt. Both tasted and smelled.  The pasta was Al Dante and the sauce was generously creamy. Topped with vegetables and cherry tomatoes, it almost reminded me of Christmas. Gorgeously done. 

Next was the Chicken satay. The chicken was well done and glazed with spices herbs and 
balsamic vinegar. Served with creamy pesto sauce. Absolutely lovely.

The highlight of the chicken dishes was however the Piccata Milenaise. It was a chicken breast coated with egg and parmesan, fried to perfection served on a bed of tomato spaghetti. The chicken was juicy and succulent. It was for sure that good quality meat was being used here. The cheese in its coating made it just sinful and yummy. The tomato spaghetti was like a cherry on top of an already overwhelming cake.It had scrumptious tomato sauce, and beautifully cooked and spiced spaghetti. Put together,  they made an impeccable combination. 

After so much food, we were almost full, but that still couldn't refrain us from ordering desserts. So we ordered a Creme Brulee, a Tiramisu and a Bloody Muddy Cake. 

Bloody Muddy cake was just a very soft, chocolaty and spongy cake topped with chocolate sauce and a scoop of ice cream by the side. It was good, but I was just eyeing my other desserts because this is available nearly everywhere. 

So in came the Creme Brulee and the Tiramisu. The Creme Brulee was lovely and golden on top. Once broken it oozed the creme above and once I had a bite, I was directly in heaven. Loved it. The caramel layer was not black or burnt, it was golden and sparkling. It had appropriate thickness and the creme part was nice and sweet. It was just very alluring. The Tiramisu remains my favorite though. Important to mention is that they have a slightly different version of the Tiramisu, but I fell in love with it. The cake base was nice and squidgy, soaked in coffee and topped with coffee flavored cream. The coffee flavor was not overpowering, nor was the cake. Both perfectly in sync. It was definitely next level.

One thing worth mentioning is the way the food is presented. The effort in preparation and presentation shows and makes the food even more tempting. As they say, the first sense that food must entice is the visual sense. Excellent job there!
I would love to go there again. :)

All in all:
Taste: 5
Ambiance: 5
Service: 5