Ever since Lazy Leopard opened its doors for customers in 2023, diners have had one question to ask: Where are the pastas? The restaurant that specialises in Neapolitan pizzas has now come up with a new pasta menu comprising 10 options, or 27 if you count the vegetarian and non-vegetarian (including sea food) varieties. That's quite a lot, but then again, no day is a bad day to eat pasta.
Kanishk Dhupad, the founder and executive chef, has devised the menu and said it took the team about two months to finalise the new pasta menu. His brother, Dheeraj Dhupad, who is the head of operations, joins us for the tasting session on a very warm summer evening.
Just as we learned about how Kanishk, who had lived in Bengaluru for a decade, initially wanted to open a restaurant in Delhi and how Dheeraj convinced him to jointly set up shop in Chennai, the first dish arrived. Named Quartetto fungo, the dish comprises of four different mushrooms — oyster, shiitake, button, and shimeji — all tossed in a creamy white truffle Alfredo sauce with fettuccine pasta.
The moment we took the first bite, we understood that the folks at Lazy Leopard meant business, as the pasta had no localised element in it. The sauce was, as mentioned above, creamy, and the dish had a wonderful glaze to it. However, it is not a heavy dish, as we found out in a few minutes, just like it should be.
We asked the Dhupad brothers if they consciously did not want any localised elements in the pastas, and both said "yes" with confidence. Kanishk, who is a stickler for authenticity, has kept each dish very much true to its origins, and he has only given a twist to the ones he wanted to modernise. He did not want his pastas to become bowls full of just cream and cheese.
As soon as we were done tasting the dish, the conversation continued, and we learned how difficult the last few months have been for pizzerias in Chennai to get stuff imported from Italy and how the Dhupads got their relatives returning from vacation in Europe to bring in the much-sought-after ingredients to assist in the business.
Before we could notice, the Pepe al nero was served to us, and for us, it was one of the standout dishes on the menu. Featuring fettuccine pasta that is tossed in a simple pepper emulsion, the dish was outright delicious. The black garlic added a chocolaty flavour, while sundried tomatoes complemented the dish well. And before you ask, yes, this dish is a version of the soulful Cacio e Pepe.
If that was a dish that was enjoyable, the next dish swept us off, and Kanishk was rather proud to serve it to us. Very green and featuring candied walnuts, which were rather addictive, the Pesto alla Genovese was one of the best dishes we've tried, period. It contained large rigatoni tossed in a creamy Genovese pesto sauce, with sundried tomatoes added to the mix. We got the chicken version, and the meat was well-cooked too. With this dish on the table, there was no speaking until the bowl was empty, which speaks volumes about the skill it took to put together such a bowl.
The brothers revealed that they plan to sell candied walnuts separately to customers, and we think they will run off the shelves in no time. As for the food, the pasta menu at the Lazy Leopard is among the best we've tried, and should they keep the dishes as simple and honest as they do now, we think Chennaiites will reward them.
INR 1,500++ for two persons. Lunch and dinner. At Gopalapuram.
