Piano Piano opened not long ago in an out-of-the-way street in Lazimpat. The modest little Italian restaurant occupies a single long room, with a bar in the centre. The restaurant’s contemporary Italian dining setting is spacious with plenty of seating for groups or a seat by the central bar where you can enjoy your food and get drinks faster.
The eye-catching black building of the new boutique establishment, Nomad Hotel with clean and wide windows on the ground floor that peers into the busy kitchen and the cosy sitting area of Piano Piano is a head turner for sure. Walking into the restaurant, greeted by the soft melody playing in the background and warm hues of the restaurant, the friendly staff guides you to your reserved table or any empty table available.
Drawing inspiration from his hometown of Venice, Chef Bubu Candiani served us The Smoked Trout Mousse on Polenta for Antipasti. This single, bite-sized dish was a comforting morsel to start of our meal. Using smoked local trout and ricotta cheese to create a light but flavourful mousse, the dish was a mouth teaser for sure.
Fare la Scarpetta is a phrase in the Italian language that’s close to the heart of everyone who has enjoyed a delicious plate of pasta with sauce. Meaning 'make the little shoe', it refers to the small piece of bread used to mop up the last of the sauce on your plate. Encouraging us to do the same, we were served freshly baked baguette with three classic sauces to dip into; Ragu’ Di Carne – buff and chicken ragout, Pesto Di Basilica – basil, almond, cashew nut, parmesan and Quattro Formaggi – tome, camembert, parmesan and blue. But before our pasta hit the table we had already finished the baguette dipping into the heavenly sauces.
We opted for Trofie Al Pesto – Artisanal pasta with basil pesto, green beans, potatoes and confit tomatoes. It was as fresh as they come, with good portion size. Using the authentic recipe from the Northern Italy, we were served the Genovese trofie which was made with wheat flour and had a bite to it that added to the dish. It was the perfect pasta dish with all the right elements combined masterfully.
Finally, is it really an authentic Italian experience, if one doesn’t save some room for dessert? Serving desserts that are made to order, we got Tiramisu to end our meal. Replacing the traditionally used mascarpone cheese with ricotta, their light Tiramisu with a hint of rum and the distinct taste of coffee in each spoonful is a coffee lover’s dream dessert.
The service alone being c’est magnifique, and a menu that would make any drool, Piano Piano’s charm is sure to have loyal customers who will return again and again.
Piano Piano
Kumari Mai Marg, Lazimpat, Kathmandu
980-2071127
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