It was 10:40pm on Saturday night when the concierge at the Grand Hotel Eden in Paradiso suggested Il Nibbio to us based on the fact that there were probably no other restaurants nearby the hotel that were still opened at that hour. We were surprised upon arrival to find Il Nibbio to be an Indian restaurant when we specifically asked the concierge for an Italian/Pizzeria recommendation, being in Ticino and all.
The interior of the restaurant is decorated like a Bollywood spectacular, which was unexpected but entertaining nonetheless. Big flat screen TVs on both ends of the dining room played modern and old school Indian dance videos you just can't take your eyes off of. The friendly Indian waiter explained to us that the previously Italian restaurant had recently undergone an Indian transformation but still served Italian fares such as pizzas and pastas. He brought us tablets that has both menus installed with photos and prices of all the offerings. My husband ordered a pizza while I ordered a seafood pasta. The waiter reassured me that they use fresh and not frozen seafood. He also assured my husband that they make very good pizza and for him not to worry.
Our dishes arrived in a reasonable time. To his disappointment, the pizza didn't have much taste. I mean the dough was good, the ingredients are all there, but the whole thing just lacked flavor. He tried to salvage it with some salt and pepper to no avail. My seafood pasta came inside closed tinfoil on top of the plate. I'm used to Italian dishes inside wax paper that it was baked in, but it's highly unusual to have it come inside cold tin foil instead of just on a hot plate. After I carefully poured out the seafood pasta onto my plate instead of spilling it all over the table, my heart sank after the first bite. The pasta was very over boiled instead of al dente and the seafood did not taste very fresh, especially not the mussels.
I cannot attest to the Indian dishes offered because we didn't try any, but the Italian fares were definitely sub-par. Will go to the Lugano city center for a late night dinner next time. read more