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IF LONGEVITY in a challenging market is the hallmark of a successful restaurant, 56 Ristorante Italiano definitely belongs to that prized category. For starters, this Vatika Group restaurant, a favourite of award givers, has got its basics right. It has a media-shy Italian chef, Alessandro Mariani, who lets his work speak for him. Its ambience exudes romance, a feeling you'd not normally associate with the clutter and confusion of Golf Course Road, and its stained glass panels combined with a high ceiling give you the feeling that you are in a well-designed modern chapel. It is indeed a tranquil getaway on one of the busiest roads in Gurgaon, but it wouldn't have had its steady band of followers – in the offices above and in the neighbourhood – had Mariani not got his food right. From his smoked salmon bruschetta and barbecue salsa-laced chicken spiedini, to his famed broth of seasonal vegetables, to the rock lobster spaghetti (the most expensive item on the menu and also the most memorable), lamb ossobucco and chicken involtini, and of course, the drop-dead gorgeous tiramisu, Mariani makes sure no visit to the restaurant is a cause for disappointment.