Medici in Indiranagar has always been one of my favourite restaurants in the city. Serving European cuisine, the restaurant allows you to indulgence in a great fine dining experience. Warm lighting, plush interiors and courteous staff compliment what is most critical to any restaurant – great food.

Every time I visit Medici my fondness to that place just increases. This time around, it I guess it just tripled. They had a Christmas meal that my friends and I were waiting for long. We had ensured we had reserved our table before hand to avoid missing out on an awesome meal. They were offering a 5 course meal and the menu looked very inviting and tempting.

As part of the meal we had an option to choose from eggnog or warm mulled wine. I had never tasted eggnog earlier; hence I was a little skeptical. The staff was courteous enough to actually get me a little to taste and decide.  I absolutely loved it! And immediately told them that I was having eggnog!

While we were waiting for our drinks to arrive they served us basket of warm bread with some amazing cheese, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The bread, I must say was one of the best I have had so far. It was better than the normal bread that they serve there. I don’t know if it was the Christmas spirit that added to the taste or if it actually was that brilliant.

Soon 3 tall wine half filled glass of eggnog was brought to our table. Another friend of mine was keen on not having any alcohol content in his drink. They then got us our favourite mocktail, Funky Toffee. I couldn’t wait to attack it and move on to what was next in the menu.  It surely was a mind blowing drink!

Next came Amuse Bouche – A thin slice of Parmesan cheese with a tiny piece of orange coated with a little balsamic vinaigrette. When I took the first bite, I didn’t quite enjoy it. But as I allowed the taste to settle I developed a strange liking towards it. And I didn’t hesitate in having a second serving of the same!

It was time for the next round. Tomato Carpaccio with Goat Cheese and Vinaigrette for the only vegetarian on the table (me) and Pan Seared Scallops with Orange Salsa for the non-veg eaters. Mine looked super delicious and I love the taste of tomatoes. Well, my non veg friends enjoyed making fun of it saying it was just think slices of tomato that I was having! It seemed perfect – extremely thin slices of tomatoes, with a little olive oil and cheese sprinkled over it. Oh yes, the balsamic vinegar added to the flavor.  I still think that I liked the taste of it and loved the look of it! Scallops I believe tasted best when they were mixed with the orange salsa. They looked like tiny bags of money with an orange bottom! However, I did think the quantity was little.

It was now time for some soup. On the menu was just one – Green Pea Soup. Well, this was probably the only item in the entire meal that was not up to our expectation. It tasted like peas were just boiled and crushed into a liquid mixture with some cheese and pepper. However, we were glad that the quantity was less. All the while my friend kept telling me to wait until the fourth course to see how full I would be, but the glutton in me wanted more of everything, especially eggnog. So I went ahead and asked for some eggnog for all of us! We had four more glasses that was brought to our table – that made it one for each and the last one to be split by the three since my other friend would have only mocktails! Happiness!!

I knew that after the soup was something I loved and was eagerly waiting for it – Parmesan and Ricotta Ravioli. One of my all time favourites. I must add here that it was made so well that if I had a choice I would have just that for the rest of the meal. My friends had Seafood Pappardelle – cheesy sea food pasta. Those who love cheese loved it, the others thought it was an overdose of cheese.

The staff at Medici now brought Sorbet to our table. I think sorbet being served at this time was a very good idea. The ice somehow negated the feeling of all the cheese in the mouth and added to our appetite.

Now it was time for the fourth course. I was planning on skipping this as I was already full. But then, I was a little hesitant to do so as my friend would then have a hearty laugh. So I asked for my Puff Pastry Au Gratin. I knew it would be cheesy and sinful but I couldn’t say no! The others had their Turkey Roulade with Mashed Potato, Cranberry Sauce Beans and Brussels Sprouts. I am to believe that it was awesome. The presentation however was mind blowing. My Au Gratin was really yummy but I just couldn’t finish it and was feeling guilty that I was doing injustice to such good looking and yummy food. But I had to save some space (which was practically nonexistent  by then) for the dessert.

Since I am a huge fan of desserts that is something I love to indulge in whenever I dine out. Christmas pudding with Brandy Butter was served. Well, it just meant a nice tasting plum cake and some liquid butter. The cake was awesome but the butter didn’t really go well with it.

We had eaten so much that a coffee was essential else we would have just crashed right there. So we had our coffees. While we were sipping on some ‘give me my life back’ or ‘take my sleep away’ coffee they brought a hamper on to our table! A beautifully decorated basket filled with goodies – wine, chocolates and cakes. This was the gesture that made me love Medici all the more.

It was one awesome Christmas lunch! A meal that I will remember for long for all the right reasons – food, friends and fun!

(P.S: If you happen to visit Medici on other days then do try their Rack of Lamb, some duck variety on the main course (not sure of the name but it looks like a duck mousse) and Funky Toffee! You will love it!)