There are moments I wish I could pause everything and run off to Tuscany for a couple of weeks. I know that is not happening anytime soon. For now I settled for an invitation to this new, authentic Italian restaurant, IL POSTO. If you think that Italian food is all about Pizzas and Pasta then you are wrong; there is more finger-licking, rich goodness you can indulge in.
One thing that sets Italian food apart from rest of the cuisines is quality. Italians prefer quality of their food over everything, even if it is something very basic like grilled vegetables or as complex as Red Wine-Marinated Escargot Over Bowtie Pasta. The quality is not restricted to just flavors or ingredients but also how it is presented, no wonder Italian food looks as good as it tastes. Keeping the quality in mind, Italians focus on fresh produce and ingredients rather than just the process and preparation of the food.
IL POSTO Caffe and Ristorante brought the true flavors of Italy to life, no localized dishes, Italian at its finest. Almost all the pasta you will try there is homemade by Sarah, one of the owner and chef herself. Sarah is from South Italy which is known for it's traditional cuisine. She comes from a family of farmers with two of her brothers working as professional chefs. She has been living in Pakistan for 10 years and started IL POSTO because she saw a need for an Italian Food place in Karachi.
Is Pizza on the menu? Of course, how can you not have pizza in an Italian restaurant? However, we started our lunch with the most basic yet beloved, Bruschettas.
Bruschetta is a traditional AntiPasto (literally means "before the meal") that is served as a starter in Italy. Very simple, yet appetizing, bruschetta is a small piece of toasted bread seasoned with garlic, olive oil and topping(s) of your choice. At IL Posto, they offer a variety of Bruschettas with simpler topping liked chopped tomatoes to a bit more flavorsome fresh buffalo mozzarella topping.
Later came the Bufalina Pizza and Octopus Carpaccio. Yes, Octopus and that too raw. Carpaccio is served as an appetizer and mainly consists of raw meat or fish thinly sliced and further pounded till it's paper thin. Its served with Lemon or vinegar and olive oil, in our case it was fresh onions, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.
Octopus Carpaccio was an experience. It was cold and the octopus was prepared perfectly, not once did I struggle to chew. The blandness of the octopus, zest of lemon and smoothness of the Olive oil formed an odd, yet mild mix which I found better than any other carpaccio I have had so far which always ends up too salty. Too much of one ingredient can kill a dish, balance is key.
The Bufalina Pizza blew my mind. The beauty lies in its simplicity, made of hand made, fresh dough, tomato sauce and then topped with cherry tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella and basil leaves, all shining together as the robust Bufalina Pizza that made me smile at first bite. With every piece I just kept thinking, how can something so simple taste so good? We are so used to ordering pizzas with a million toppings that we forgot about the simpler things in life that are actually more savory, I mean, the crust made me cry with joy.
The Gnocchi (pronounced Neo-Key) was very inviting yet I was hesitant to take a bite due to my past experiences. Every time I have had gnocchi it tasted chewy with an unpleasantly powdery aftertaste. For a bit I just stared and smelled (so good) the dish.
Gnocchi are small dumplings commonly prepared with wheat flour, potatoes and eggs. How well you mix/knead/roll the ingredients is as crucial as how you boil it. How you pair it with the sauce of choice vary, but gnocchi is still the key element. If you cant get it right, if its too hard, chewy or dry, the entire dish is a fail.
With a bit of courage, I took a bite of Gnocchi in white sauce drizzled with pesto in olive oil. It just melted in my mouth. The ratio of gnocchi to sauce was sensible, both complementing each other, one with flavor the other with texture while the pesto added gusto. Gnocchi was soft, fluffy and utterly delightful. FACT: They are freshly made from scratch at IL Posto!
Other than the Octopus Carpaccio, the Linguine with prawns, mussels and cuttlefish in marinara sauce is definitely restricted to those (like me) with an acquired taste and a penchant to experiment with flavor and food.
The Linguine was doused in thick marinara, engulfing the moist, juicy prawns, cuttlefish and slightly chewy mussels. The mix of flavors and texture was indeed a mouthful and mindful. I also tasted a bit of a spicy aftertaste in the sauce which was very light and zesty. The sauce was packed with a punch of flavors which set well with a more salty, yet earthy character of the seafood.
The lunch ended with a sweet note, literally. We were surprised with Tiramisu as well as chocolate covered eclairs stuffed with, wait for it, cream that literally tasted like pudding!
I don't have a sweet tooth but I couldn't help bite into the soft eclairs while the cream oozed into my mouth. The plus point was that the cream was not overwhelming sweet.
Tiramisu was moist and gooey with the flavors of coffee, cream and chocolate pleasantly balanced. I was stuffed yet I still took at least three bites of tiramisu because the moussy texture was too good to pass.
The overall experience was enough for me to actually plan another (or more) meetups at IL POSTO because the food left me with a happy tummy and a happy heart. That only happens after consuming good food. The pricing was also justified with the a big pizza for only PKR.900. I highly recommend IL POSTO, every dish is delizioso and I can't wait to visit again to try more.
One thing that sets Italian food apart from rest of the cuisines is quality. Italians prefer quality of their food over everything, even if it is something very basic like grilled vegetables or as complex as Red Wine-Marinated Escargot Over Bowtie Pasta. The quality is not restricted to just flavors or ingredients but also how it is presented, no wonder Italian food looks as good as it tastes. Keeping the quality in mind, Italians focus on fresh produce and ingredients rather than just the process and preparation of the food.
Michael Chiarello, a famous chef, said something very beautiful about Italian Cuisine and I totally concur: “Enjoying Italian cuisine is more experiential, not intellectual. It comes from a more emotional place that’s very evocative.”
IL POSTO Caffe and Ristorante brought the true flavors of Italy to life, no localized dishes, Italian at its finest. Almost all the pasta you will try there is homemade by Sarah, one of the owner and chef herself. Sarah is from South Italy which is known for it's traditional cuisine. She comes from a family of farmers with two of her brothers working as professional chefs. She has been living in Pakistan for 10 years and started IL POSTO because she saw a need for an Italian Food place in Karachi.
"The love for cooking is part of my DNA and I wanted to share the true Italian Experience with Italian food lovers in Pakistan" - SarahIL POSTO is located on Main Khy-e-Shahbaz, in the DHA area, Karachi. The space is quite open and have a very comfortable, rustic appeal. It is adorned in a very minimalist way which is good, one should rather focus on the palatable food.
Is Pizza on the menu? Of course, how can you not have pizza in an Italian restaurant? However, we started our lunch with the most basic yet beloved, Bruschettas.
Octopus Carpaccio was an experience. It was cold and the octopus was prepared perfectly, not once did I struggle to chew. The blandness of the octopus, zest of lemon and smoothness of the Olive oil formed an odd, yet mild mix which I found better than any other carpaccio I have had so far which always ends up too salty. Too much of one ingredient can kill a dish, balance is key.
The Bufalina Pizza blew my mind. The beauty lies in its simplicity, made of hand made, fresh dough, tomato sauce and then topped with cherry tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella and basil leaves, all shining together as the robust Bufalina Pizza that made me smile at first bite. With every piece I just kept thinking, how can something so simple taste so good? We are so used to ordering pizzas with a million toppings that we forgot about the simpler things in life that are actually more savory, I mean, the crust made me cry with joy.
Gnocchi are small dumplings commonly prepared with wheat flour, potatoes and eggs. How well you mix/knead/roll the ingredients is as crucial as how you boil it. How you pair it with the sauce of choice vary, but gnocchi is still the key element. If you cant get it right, if its too hard, chewy or dry, the entire dish is a fail.
With a bit of courage, I took a bite of Gnocchi in white sauce drizzled with pesto in olive oil. It just melted in my mouth. The ratio of gnocchi to sauce was sensible, both complementing each other, one with flavor the other with texture while the pesto added gusto. Gnocchi was soft, fluffy and utterly delightful. FACT: They are freshly made from scratch at IL Posto!
The Linguine was doused in thick marinara, engulfing the moist, juicy prawns, cuttlefish and slightly chewy mussels. The mix of flavors and texture was indeed a mouthful and mindful. I also tasted a bit of a spicy aftertaste in the sauce which was very light and zesty. The sauce was packed with a punch of flavors which set well with a more salty, yet earthy character of the seafood.
I don't have a sweet tooth but I couldn't help bite into the soft eclairs while the cream oozed into my mouth. The plus point was that the cream was not overwhelming sweet.
Tiramisu was moist and gooey with the flavors of coffee, cream and chocolate pleasantly balanced. I was stuffed yet I still took at least three bites of tiramisu because the moussy texture was too good to pass.
The overall experience was enough for me to actually plan another (or more) meetups at IL POSTO because the food left me with a happy tummy and a happy heart. That only happens after consuming good food. The pricing was also justified with the a big pizza for only PKR.900. I highly recommend IL POSTO, every dish is delizioso and I can't wait to visit again to try more.
5 Comments
I feel so helpless after reading your post because my mum's cooking daal at the moment. I NEED TO TRY THIS PIZZA!
ReplyDeletePS: Love ya, girl. <3 x
- Farah
www.impatientperson.com
This pizza is LOVE
DeleteGOD! your post made my mouth drool, seriously!
ReplyDeleteIf that actually happened then I am glad :D
DeleteOmg I miss having pizzas. I am on an almost dairy free diet because of my acne so haven't had a pizza in months =(
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting, have a nice day!