A restaurant is not merely about cooking. It’s also about feeling. With this simple philosophy guiding them, Andrea Aftab Pauro and his petite wife Pia launched Baci in Delhi in 2006. “It was a very exciting year for us. Our daughter was born, we started Baci and Italy won the World Cup,” smiles Andrea, whose hybrid name gives away his Italian-Sikh lineage — his father is a food connoisseur from Italy while his Indian mother’s family owns the Imperial Hotel in Delhi. Armed with degrees in hospitality from Denver, Colorado and Montreux, Switzerland, the 30-year-old has a purist approach to his craft. “Everyone uses the word authentic like toilet paper but we wanted to use real Italian recipes and not Indianise to suit the market.”

A stickler for quality, Andrea is uncom–promising in the use of fresh ingredients including Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and parma ham especially flown in from Italy. “Parma ham is from Italy. You can’t have German Parma ham. But most restaurants here use cheaper versions of ingredients.” Emphatic that India needs more restaurants that serve world-class cuisine, Andrea sums up his culinary philosophy, “When you serve something, it should be in its original form and of the highest quality. Otherwise it’s like serving tandoori chicken sashimi roll! What’s the point?”

Pia cuts to the chase, “We don’t do Punjabi-Italian here.” Andrea cringes in mock horror “Don’t say that, Pia!” Then half pleads with me, “Don’t quote her on this, please!” But he concedes a majority of Baci’s clients are expats or well-travelled Indians who know their cucina Italiana — politicians, actors, prominent business people, intellectuals, even the occasional Nobel Prize winner. Rocking bar nights twice a week with prominent deejays, a fabulous selection of handpicked wines and real Italian caffés – their own top secret blend — keeps folks coming back for more.

The eye-catching kiss collage on the ground floor sets the theme for Baci, which means kiss in Italian, and is carried forth in the kiss graphics prominently displayed in the restaurant and the terrace grill. “Baci is what you would see when you walk in the streets of Rome or London or Milan. It’s very contemporary, comfortable, recognisable, a bit personal and a bit arty,” says Andrea. The walls act as a moving canvas where upcoming artists’ work is displayed, even sold. The Italian bar on the ground floor sells caffé, paninis, snacks and alcohol, while the restaurant offers a blend of classic and contemporary Italian cuisine. There are even some homemade recipes like the gnocchi made with pumpkin, gorgonzola and lettuce. “It’s a bit sharp, a bit sweet and a bit bitter. That’s typical in our house because my Italian father is influenced by both northern and southern Italian cuisine.”

Known for its salads and grills, Baci’s most loved dish is the Insalata Felix, made of rock leaves, goat’s cheese, pine nuts and mango and named after the couple’s cat. The pesto spaghetti, steak of veal, camembert soufflé and a great selection of desserts are other hot favourites. Though fusion is mostly limited to countries Italian cuisine has influenced, the couple is excited about introducing the most perfect burger in the world. “Baci Burger will be made of good beef, good cheese, fresh vegetables, a good quantity of beef and a nice crisp bun. We are putting our own interesting tomato relish to give it that spicy yet sweet Indian touch. So do we like to experiment and have fun.”

The chilled-out, informal ambience recalls a typical family-run trattoria in Italy. “It’s a very Italian thing for the chef to interact with guests. People find this place very personal and friendly because Andrea and my father-in-law spend a lot of time here,” says Pia with more than a hint of family pride. She herself does a lot of Baci time and smiles as she recalls her role in the restaurant launch. “I was pregnant and a very important part of the food tasting. So I would just sit up in the kitchen on my chair and eat away!”