Restaurant Spotlight: Discover The Gastronomic Joys Of Italy At Le Meridien’s Stellar Restaurant Bella Cucina

In my entire life, I haven’t met a single foodie who doesn’t like Italian cuisine. It's kind of a prerequisite to qualify as an avid gourmand. And having an eternal love affair with food, I am often found daydreaming about Cheesy pizzas, flavorful pasta, and heavenly Panna cottas. So the other day when I couldn’t shake the cravings, I had my better half prepone the date night and take me to Bella Cucina.

Located in the plush premises of Le Meridien, Gurgaon, Bella Cucina is an elegant Italian, fine-dining space where the chef curates a menu for you, basis your current mood. So no matter how you’re feeling, you’ll always find a flavor-packed Italian delight here to cheer you up!

Luring foodies from far and wide, this stunning little restaurant is the perfect place to head to when date night and good food are two main things on your dining agenda. With a name that literally translates to “beautiful kitchen’’, Bella Cucina is indeed a gorgeous yet classy venue that unlocks the flavors from the Northern and Central regions of Italy.

The team of skilled chefs at the helm dish out a range of delicacies—handmade pasta, thin-crust pizzas, fresh garlic bread, along with a wide selection of seafood, meats, and grills. This also includes some of the in-house chefs’ very own interpretation of authentic Italian flavors.

Once we got seated, our server gave us a quick low-down on what the chefs have curated for us, setting the tone for a delightful dining experience that was to follow.

We started our gastronomic journey with fresh Stromboli Ciabatta with a tangy-spicy dip, a very simple and classic pairing packing big flavors.

Then we moved to one of Bella Cucina’s most adored Antipasti- the delicious Bruschetta, which I might add, we devoured within minutes!

Next came their ‘Insalata Mista’ salad. This one was a real humdinger that pleasantly surprised me! I am not much of a salad lover, but after trying their stellar preparation featuring artichokes, avocados, feta cheese, and a secret dressing with just the right sweet, sour & spicy notes it’s safe to count me as a convert!

Their Spinach & Ricotta Tortellini Pasta with sage butter, & tarty sundried tomatoes was a delightful treat that honest to God still haunts my dreams! It's a delectable amalgamation of buttery spinach and ricotta cheese wrapped up in little fresh-made pasta parcels and finished with sage butter. I'm not sure how all these ingredients work together or the technicality behind the process of making this rock star of a dish, I just know that each bite was a mouthful of yum!

If you are a dessert fanatic, then Bella Cucina’s lineup of decadent desserts is going to make you swoon. But the piece de résistance here is the sinful Tiramisu, their sensational coffee-flavored Italian dessert that owed its lighter-than-air velvety texture to the creamy mascarpone cheese in it—this indulgent little thing is a treat for both your eyes and soul!