CHENNAI: Fresh truffles, with their distinct aroma and delicate flavour, have long been associated with premium hotel dining. But what if diners could experience them at a standalone restaurant, alongside handmade pasta and dishes that reinterpret familiar Italian preparations? That was the idea behind Elba Trading Co. (ETC), which set out to bring fresh black truffles to a wider dining audience while building a menu around handcrafted pasta and contemporary interpretations of Italian cuisine.
Three years in, the restaurant has grown into a boutique pasta bar where the emphasis is as much on ingredients and techniques as on the dining experience. Its journey, however, began with a love for food and a shared vision among its partners.
"For me, it was the opportunity to work with Anand and Ganesh. Ganesh had worked with me for a few years across a few interesting projects. Our restaurant manager, Angel, was another factor in giving us the confidence to try something fun, as she could explain the vision fairly clearly to her team and the guests. Pasta and truffles were just vehicles for this team to go have fun and build something that we believed the city was lacking. Honestly, with this team I would have been confident to go sell sand to the Bedouins," says Sandesh Reddy, partner.
For Anand Madhan, partner, the move into the food and beverage industry came from his own relationship with food. "The inspiration came from my abundant love for food as a consumer. I have been an avid food lover all my life and decided to be on the other side — creating food and building a venture around it," he says.
While the idea of introducing handcrafted pasta came from Sandesh, the vision was to push Italian cuisine beyond familiar recipes. The restaurant makes every pasta on its menu by hand using Italian durum wheat semolina. The pasta is also made without eggs, keeping the focus on the texture and bite of the dough.
One of the defining decisions was to introduce fresh black truffles at a standalone restaurant, at a time when the ingredient was largely found in five-star hotel kitchens. Finding the right produce and making it accessible to diners were among the initial challenges.
"We tried several batches from suppliers across Asia and Europe before finding the right truffle. Another key consideration was finding one that we could source consistently throughout the year, so that fresh truffles would be available on our menu year-round," says Anand.
He points out that fresh truffles have a more delicate and distinct flavour compared to the stronger, pungent notes associated with truffle oils and some frozen products. Rather than limiting the ingredient to shavings over pasta, ETC incorporated it into its own truffle butter, oils and hot sauce, allowing diners to experience it in different preparations.
The early days were not without challenges. Anand recalls having to explain the difference between fresh truffles and commonly available truffle oils to customers. Over time, however, the ingredient and its dishes found a loyal following, with diners now calling ahead to check whether fresh truffles are available before making a reservation.
For Chef Ganesh, the culinary philosophy at ETC is rooted in giving traditional Italian cuisine a contemporary touch without losing sight of its techniques. The kitchen experiments with textures, ingredients and flavours while paying attention to balance. Rather than relying heavily on cream, starchy pasta water is used to bring sauces together, allowing the natural flavours of the ingredients to come through.
Fresh truffles, he explains, are particularly sensitive to heat. They are shaved over hot pasta just before serving, allowing the residual heat to release their aroma without destroying it. The kitchen also pairs them with creamy ingredients such as burrata and mascarpone, which help retain their flavour.
Over the years, the menu has expanded beyond truffle-led preparations, with stuffed pastas featuring fillings such as lamb, prawns, chicken, crab, corn and mushrooms. The kitchen has also experimented with different pasta shapes, including cavatelli, keeping younger diners in mind. "Our focus at Elba has always been more than just truffles. Handmade pasta remains at the heart of our menu," says Ganesh.
On the table
The tasting began with milk buns, freshly baked, soft and fluffy, served with three varieties of butter — fresh truffle butter, pesto butter and black garlic butter. The buns were delightful on their own, but the different spreads made each bite more interesting. The truffle butter, in particular, offered a lovely introduction to the ingredient that defines much of ETC's identity.
The Truffalo Zucchini and Ricotta Balls were another standout. These crisp vegetarian bites, served with the restaurant's in-house truffle hot sauce, had a crunchy exterior and a spicy kick that worked particularly well with the filling. They were among the best starters of the meal and a preparation worth returning for.
The Corn Tortellini, filled with corn and spinach and served with cream sauce, was easily the highlight of the tasting and a must-try at ETC. The creamy base complemented the stuffed pasta beautifully, while the paprika sprinkled on top added another layer of flavour. Every bite was packed with flavour, with the filling and sauce coming together particularly well.
The Smoked Watermelon Carpaccio was perhaps the most unconventional plate on the table. Inspired by traditional carpaccio, which is usually prepared with meat or seafood, the kitchen slow-smokes watermelon for several hours to give it a texture and appearance reminiscent of cured meat. Served as a savoury preparation, the dish brings together the sweetness of watermelon with a mix of complementary flavours. It is an interesting departure from the usual way the fruit is served and reflects the kitchen's willingness to experiment.
"It brings together our approach to food: experimenting with familiar dishes, using interesting techniques and not being afraid to do things differently," says Ganesh.
For him, however, creativity must always be backed by flavour. "At ETC, we believe a dish should not just be inventive but, above all, taste good. The balance of flavours is what makes it memorable," he adds.
For the pasta course, the Fettuccine with Mushroom and Truffle stood out. ETC's emphasis on fresh truffles is evident in this preparation, where the flat pasta, button mushrooms and truffle come together in a well-seasoned dish. The seasoning was just right, and the truffle added depth without taking away from the other ingredients.
The Gnocchi Marinara offered a different experience. The pan-fried potato pasta had a pleasing texture, while the marinara sauce brought a tangy freshness to the plate. It was a comforting preparation that showed the menu's range beyond its signature truffle offerings.
The meal ended with tiramisu, a dessert that got the sweetness just right. Made with eggs, it had a balanced sweetness that did not feel overwhelming, making it a satisfying finish to the spread. The Pista Panna Cotta was another delightful dessert. Its soft, jelly-like texture paired beautifully with the richness of pistachios, while the crushed pistachios sprinkled on top added a lovely crunch.
For diners looking to explore the non-vegetarian side of the menu, ETC also offers preparations such as Parmesan Chicken Supreme, Truffalo Chicken Meatballs, Prawn Garlic Butter Focaccia Crisp and Calamari Fritti with Secco Pomodoro. Its pasta selection includes options such as Prawn Ravioli, Crab Ravioli, Tuscan Chicken Ravioli and Spaghetti Carbonara ETC Style, alongside meat-filled specials.
Beyond the food, Anand says the restaurant was envisioned as an experience that paid attention to the smaller details — from hospitality and the upkeep of the space to how the team responds when something goes wrong and recognises returning customers. The intention, he says, was never to be perfect but to make a genuine effort with care and attention.