Il Ponte: Authentic Italian at a premium

By Madushka Balasuriya

A finger goes up, and a waiter comes rushing in. Il Ponte’s Head Chef Massimo Zamper is having dinner, and he’s not happy. He purposefully moves a roast potato from his plate to a side. One, two, three times, he bends the potato back and forth to a degree that is imperceptible to my eye as I sit across the table. “Take this back to the kitchen and show it to them. It’s supposed to be roasted.”

To be honest, it looked fine to me, but then again I’ve never cooked for British Royalty, A-list celebrities, and global sports stars, and I’m definitely not heading up the Colombo Hilton’s resident Italian restaurant. Also, ‘fine’ is fine with me, but not so much for Chef Massimo. 

Ever the perfectionist, he strikes you as man accustomed to getting his way, but also one set in his ways, reluctant to move away from what works for him. He bristles when conversation turns to social media marketing, and scoffs at the idea that TripAdvisor reviews should have any bearing on the success of his restaurant. Nevertheless, he laments that it is not more well-known that there is a weekend policy in place, where the Rs. 2,000 entry fee to the poolside area next to Il Ponte can be redeemed at the restaurant.

“The customer is not always right, you know. Sometimes people come to your restaurant and say, ‘this is not right,’ and they try to change my recipe,” he tells me at one point during dinner. “Why would you want to put tabasco sauce on a risotto?” he continues somewhat quixotically. Later on he backtracks, accepting that if there is a change to be made, he would no doubt oblige. Whether he’s happy about it, however, is another matter.

This reluctance to bend to the local palate (not that they’re militant about it) is what sets Il Ponte apart from other Italian restaurants in Colombo. Using ingredients brought down fresh from Italy, the key word for Chef Massimo is ‘authenticity’. Authentic Italian food, made with authentic Italian products – only certain meats and vegetables are sourced locally – a stark change from when he took over in 2015, when the menu was alarmingly short of identity.

“When you open a restaurant you need to be authentic. We don’t use MSG, no Noor brand. All natural products and ingredients. Your mother and grandmother don’t use chemicals.”

On a plate

This is highlighted to perfection by the Caprese, an appetiser which champions chunks of Buffalo mozzarella served with sun ripened tomatoes and fresh basil drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and pepper. Every ingredient on the plate is there for a reason, as the subtle tang of the cheese is offset exquisitely by the tomatoes and hints of basil.

On the other extreme, the Ravioli was anything but subtle. Stuffed with Forest Mushroom and Ricotta, topped with Cheese Sauce and Truffle oil, the dish, which comes with four generously sized homemade dumplings, was bursting with flavour and is up there with some of the best ravioli I’ve ever eaten. The thickness of the dough was precision-made, while the stuffing was liberally proffered. The star of the show however was the multi-cheese cheese sauce, which ensures you go home satisfied.

The other standout from the pasta menu was the Spaghetti Aglio Olio & Gamberi, one much more attuned to the traditional Lankan palate. Sautéed Prawns were accompanied by garlic, chilli flakes, and homemade prawn stock. Initially it’s the spiciness of the dish that grabs your attention, as a strong kick arrives swiftly but, thankfully, departs just as fast. The immaculately-cooked prawns, meanwhile, have only one flaw: We were crying out for more!

I suppose the lasting testament to the quality of the ingredients served up is that, while we were undoubtedly stuffed, we weren’t bloated or uncomfortable. Which naturally meant one thing: dessert. We tried the Millefoglie All a Crema di Mascarpone, a layered puff pastry filled with mascarpone cream and strawberries, and the Tiramisu. Flitting between a few bites of one and then a few more of the other, my dining companion and I couldn’t decide which we loved more. In the end it was over, and all that was left was to wonder when we could have it next.

Recommendation

On the whole, Il Ponte under the watchful eye of Chef Massimo is offering some of the, if not, the most, authentic Italian cuisine in Colombo. Every dish we tried was of a calibre befitting a 5-star property, and while their pricing is definitely on the high side, it is the price you pay for such unflinching quality and consistency.

Which brings me to arguably the best way to enjoy Il Ponte’s impeccable Italian cuisine: their Wine & Dine night. Held once a month, Rs. 3,500 net buys you an evening of live music, socialising, a unique paring of wine (courtesy Wineworld.lk) and food. 

With nearly 10 different dishes of Chef Massimo’s choosing being rotated via a conveyor belt of waiters across multiple standing tables, and an endless supply of delicious wines – explained in detail by a professional wine connoisseur – it is truly a night not to be missed.