Fiorano Ristorante on 100 Feet Road, Koramanagala, was not a disappointment, since I had low expectations to begin with. And, I'm sorry to say, those expectations were met.

The ambience of the restaurant was fairly nice. Tables were elegantly laid out and the waiters were courteous. We were shown to our table by a very well presented hostess, and were pleased to be asked if our table was okay, or if we would prefer to sit by the window.

However, when it comes to the restaurants, these niceties matter only up to a point. What I'm interested in at the end of the day is the food. Is it tasty, or not?

We ordered the Crostini, small pieces of bread with an assortment of cheese and vegetables. Although they tasted very good, they were lukewarm, and we had to send them back to get reheated. This said, the Crostini was the tastiest item I ate in the restaurant.

When we finished with our aperitifs, we kept waiting for the waiter to clear the table, and he only showed up when we called out and asked him if he could please be so kind as to take away the plates. Now if the restaurant was brimming with people, I'd be the first to understand. But since all of four tables were occupied, out of like, twenty, I didn't see why the staff wasn't jumping all around us bending backwards and forwards.

Do not make the mistake of asking your server to recommend something. That's what I did, and, well, I wish I hadn't. I didn't care for my pasta in white sauce, and I didn't care for the beef-and-tomato-based lasagna either. Some restaurants make a delicious cream sauce, but others, like Fiorano, make it far too bland, which is fine if you like bland. But if you don't, steer clear from cream based dishes and get something with a tomato base. Not that it's much better, but at least it is less fattening. After all, why would you eat something horribly fattening unless it wasn't also horribly delicious?

All in all, the starters were tasty, but cold, and the main course was average. And, none of us got a bad stomach, so that's something else in Fiorano's favour.

There was a time when Fiorano's was the Italian place to go to for a good meal but that was when the place had an Italian chef. A number of people have told me that since he left around nine months ago, the quality of food has gone down.

I definitely don't believe you need to be Italian in order to make tasty pasta, but if owners Ravi and Kiran had a chef brought down all the way from Italy, you can be sure he was one hellava cook. Needless to say, Fiorano received rave reviews when it opened in March 2005, a little over a year ago. Everyone spoke about the delicious food, the elegant ambience and the Italian chef. This is just what the owners had planned. Now although the chef has gone, perhaps because his annual contract, which was obviously just to kickstart the place, had ended, the restaurant is still cashing in on its past glory.

Should you go there? Well, the restaurant is not very pricey, but is higher than say Spiga or Painted Platters, and a meal with soft drinks, an appetizer, main course and desert, with service tax factored in, will put you back by five hundred a head. It's on 100 ft road and makes a convenient stop in the afternoon, if you're tired and want to relax someplace comfortable. Go there if you're okay with average. I'm going to opt for Sukh Sagar across the road the next time.