Chef’s Table with Chef Massimo Zampar at Il Pönte
The Hilton Colombo’s newest star has got to be Chef Massimo Zampar, currently heading operations at the hotel’s signature Italian restaurant Il Pönte.
Born in Palmanova, Italy, Chef Massimo has always been passionate about cooking, and after having successful stints at various establishments across the world, he has been stationed at the Hilton Colombo for the past three months.
The restaurant along with Hilton Colombo’s PR team invited a group of media for a Chef’s Table lunch with Chef Massimo Zampar last Thursday, to sample select favourites from the menu.
Starting things off, we were served a Mozzarella Caprese – a delightful and fresh platter of fresh tomatoes, basil leaves and wedges of soft mozzarella cheese drizzled with a pesto dressing, which was light and refreshing, and an ideal way to start the excellent meal that lay ahead of us.
Next, the Italian Cheese Platter, which paired excellently with Il Ponte’s delicious and freshly baked crusty loaves of bread. It’s recommended that you top a slice of bread drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a blob of any type of cheese from the platter for maximum flavour. The Italian Cheese Platter comprises of Gorgonzola, Parmesan, Pecorino, Asiago and Fontina.
Right after we’d finished indulging in the cheeses and bread, the pizzas arrived! Warm and smelling quite delicious, there were two types to pick from – a Quatto Formaggi (four cheese pizza comprising of Mozzarella, Fontina, Asiago and Gorgonzola) and a Di Mare (homemade tomato sauce, Mozzarella and mixed seafood). Delving into a thin, crusty slice of the Quatto Formaggi, I quite appreciated the warm layers of cheese, and possibly one of the best 4 cheese pizzas I’ve ever eaten. The Di Mare was also quite nice, with the tomato sauce perfectly complimenting the mixed seafood scattered across the pie.
The Pan Seared Scallops wrapped with Bacon were next on the tasting menu. I chose to have mine minus the bacon; and the scallops were soft, with the flavour of it highlighted through the Forest Mushroom Ragout and Saffron Sauce.
Soon after, plates of the Ravioli stuffed with Forest Mushrooms, Ricotta, Cheese Sauce and Truffle Oil were placed in front of us. The ravioli was soft and quite nice, but a bit too bland in flavour for my liking.
The Spaghetti Aglio Olio and Gamberi consisted of spaghetti cooked in a fish stock with sautéed prawns, garlic and topped with chillie flakes. For those who appreciate a mildly spicy spaghetti dish, this is an ideal pick. The soft and succulent prawns paired with the flavoursome spaghetti are quite light, and makes for a great meal.
The Linguine Aragosta (baby lobster in spicy tomato sauce, garlic and parsley) paired with the Genovese Basil Pesto Linguine (linguine with fresh tomato, pesto sauce, and Parmesan cheese) wrapped up our meal well, and I enjoyed the fresh baby lobster in a light tomato sauce and linguine.
No meal is complete without dessert, and Chef Massimo’s skills shone through the excellent Tiramisu and Panna Cotta, the former of which stands as my personal favourite. The Tiramisu was made to perfection and cut no corners with all the essential ingredients included in its preparation – creamy Mascarpone cheese, sponge fingers soaked in rum, and cocoa powder and coffee, and topped with thin wedges of fresh strawberries.
The Panna Cotta was light and not very sweet, and was served with strawberry wedges and an aged balsamic vinegar for a nice amalgamation of flavours.
Il Pönte is open everyday from 11am-2.30pm for lunch and 6pm-11pm for dinner. They can be contacted on (011) 2492492 for reservations and inquiries.
Text and photographs by Sarah Kellapatha
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