I love pizza, and was frankly, getting tired of those wafer-thin, killjoy versions. On the other scale, the deep-dish varieties have way too much dough in equation to the sauce. Finding a middle ground that is, the perfect pizza base has always been my dilemma.
Enter Mumbai’s newest pizza joint: Pi Pizzeria. A two-storeyed 25-seater, the ground floor is dedicated to a glass-caged kitchen, where only the chefs are allowed to enter, and ‘dough’ the magic. In sharp contrast, the diner’s first floor feels like you’ve walked into a brick kiln. The grey distressed walls lend to the clean design of the pizzeria’s interiors. We are clear about our order, and begin with dough balls with garlic sauce (Rs 295) and a baked mushroom with pesto and mozzarella (Rs 395).
A glance at the menu informs us that the pricing is steep. Pi has been launched by two London-based friends Shaamil Amin and Akhil Thakkar, who grew up eating slices of pizza at the family-run Pizza On The Hill, in their neighbourhood. After 30 years, when its founder, Pepe Casas, decided to shut shop, they asked their ‘Uncle Pepe’ to share his family recipes. And, he did!
Amin and Thakkar import most of their ingredients: cheese (Denmark), olives and jalapenos (Greece) and capers and tomato sauce (Spain). Amin says, “Our ham comes from Belgium and flour from U.K. We’ve imported our pizza machine from Sweden. By February, we are launching a larger menu, and our negotiations with suppliers are on, so we will be able to drop our prices by then.”
We chat while biting into the dough balls, which are beautifully crisp on the outside and soft inside. The garlic butter gives the warm doughballs an irresistible flavour. We like the baked mushrooms, which have a burnt cheese coating and sit on a sea of butter garlic sauce. As a thumb rule, we order the basic margarita (Rs. 545) along with pollo e funghi (Rs. 695), one of the two chicken options on the current menu.
The pizza is the answer to my perennial dilemma of finding the perfect crust; this one is the middle ground I’ve been looking for. Thicker than a thin crust, and thinner than a thick crust, the centre is pillowy, and the edges crunchy. A special salute is for the sauce, which generously squirts from under the spread of mozzarella that also tucks in the ingredients. Though, we feel the chefs could go lighter on the olive oil drizzle. The chicken and mushroom make a great pair, and are lightly seasoned in true European style. For those who need more spice, there are always chilli flakes and two options on the menu. One is the diavola, with pepperoni, chillies, onions and olives; the other is Pinnochio with mushrooms, green peppers, onions and chillies.
The vegetarian, cipolives, (Rs. 745) with its sundried tomatoes, onions, cherry tomatoes and feta for its mix of tangy and sweet balariota fares well on our palates. Our favourite though is the tre gusti (Rs. 845) with toppings of pepperoni, chicken, rosemary and tomatoes. Smoky, herby and juicy, we can see why the menu bends towards more ham and pepperoni options than chicken. Chicken lovers, can look forward to additions to the menu next month.
While we are floating on a pizza high, a letdown comes in the form of the bruschetta, which seems to have borrowed some raw onions and tomatoes from the burjiwala on the street, and just drizzled with some pesto. The flatbread is chewy. The anti-climax continues with the chocolate fudge cake (Rs 395), which our fellow taster thinks is a pressure cooker cake, with a careless icing.
Hope floats in the form of the traditional rum-soaked tiramisu (Rs 395).
Amin and Thakkar are now looking forward to hosting their Uncle Pepe for his seal of approval.
The writer was a guest of Pi Pizzeria
Pi Pizzeria, 7, Darvesh Grand, 4th Road, Khar West; phone: 30151794
