La Forno Café, a new restaurant in Thiruvananthapuram, has Italian and French flavours on its menu along with a range of fresh bakes

La Forno Café on Ambalamukku-Muttada Road, led by two experienced chefs, has artisanal breads in addition to popular Continental cuisine

The thin slices of crisp, warm rye bread whets your appetite. Served with olive oil and vinaigrette, the rye slices are polished off in no time while we place our order for fresh juice, chicken pie, panini sandwiches and chicken parmigiana.

That is when Chef Roy Satheesan joins us for a chat. Two chefs – Roy and Dinesh Lal, and well-travelled gourmets, Anila Shaji and Shaji Nair, put their heads together to decide the menu at Le Forno Cafe. The name of the cafe itself has been taken from the Italian ‘forno’ for oven and the French ‘four’, which also means oven, says Satheesan.

Situated on the Ambalamukku-Muttada road, Le Forno’s ample parking space is an advantage. And the menu that focusses on Continental food alone comes as a refreshing change from the multi-cuisine options in Thiruvananthapuram.

Says Roy, “Both of us as well as the investors have worked abroad. We found that different kinds of breads, especially sourdough bread, are not easily available in the city. The advantage of sourdough is that there is no yeast in it and so it is easy on the stomach.”

The cafe has three kinds of sourdough bread – rye, whole wheat and white. Then there are baguettes, croissants and several varities of cookies. Since we were in for dinner, we skipped the cookies for something some substantial.

The cold-pressed juice arrive first. Pineapple with a dash of honey and green chilli has an interesting blend of flavours that wake up the taste buds. The mild hotness of the chilli enhances the flavour of the pineapple. The cappuccino and hot chocolate do not disappoint.

Before we finish the juice, the main courses arrive. The hot chicken pie is a delight with its crumbly pastry and a delectable filling of chicken, green peas and carrots. We order a second one before tucking into the cheesy chicken parmigiana that has been plated with a side of pesto spaghetti. Resting on a bed of sauce and seasoning, the chicken is tender, subtly flavoured and cheesy, as it should be. We are told that the pasta has come all the way from Italy and so even though it is cooked well, it has not turned mushy and has a bite to it.