Burnt edge Pizza Cipolla Caramellata con noci
On a busy Saturday afternoon, my wife and I stopped at the recently opened Pizza Express in Powai. This is the chain’s sixth branch and there is a certain hype about the quality of the pizzas served here, so the curious George in me was intrigued and we decided to go for it choosing it over our comfort favorite Chillis, which is right next door.
The décor in the place is quite modern, with black painted ceiling and an artistic installation of birds sitting on a wire from which they have hanging lights. The kitchen area is open and one can see the pizza making process while they wait for the order to be served.
The menu is quite simple and is divided between some starters, the Classic and Romano pizzas and pastas; some desserts and a whole bunch of drinks which are still not being served as they are yet to receive their liquor license.
It took a while for the servers to get us water, despite having seated on our table and then another while before the drinks order were taken. Despite the restaurant not being very full, the order to service time was around 20 minutes, which I felt, was a bit on the higher side. Another observation was that the restaurant employs commercial ovens instead of the traditional wooden or brick ovens for their pizzas.
Mozzarella and Tomato Salad
Since we were in a rush, our quick order consisted of a Mozzarella and Tomato Salad (Rs. 275) which had big chunky fresh mozzarella pieces, two kinds of tomatoes – cherry and classic heirloom tomatoes drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil and fresh pesto. The salad was fresh, comforting and flavoursome and raised the expectations for things to come. The other starter was the classic Garlic Bread (Rs. 180) which was a delight to see and feel. The bread came freshly baked, very airy, flaky and light. I loved the taste of it, had it been a simple bread loaf; but as garlic bread it majorly lacked in the garlicky flavor.
The litmus test, off course, was their now hyped pizza, which came to the table slightly burnt at the edges. We had gone for a very simple Pizza Cipolla Caramellata con noci (Rs. 625) which contained caramelized onions, cheese and walnuts, my first reaction was if this was the pizza for which I have paid Rs.625! My second reaction, post my first bite, was, I have had much better pizzas at a much better price.
Garlic Bread
Equating this pizza with either Dominos or Pizza hut might be blasphemous, but having traveled to several countries and have eaten a pizza in almost everywhere, this one equates more into the mass produced category. While most commercial pizzerias rely heavily on cheese, the gourmet ones prefer to rely more on the ingredients. My problem with the pizzas here was that it had none, neither too much cheese, nor flavoursome ingredients. The only taste I could feel was that of the base (which is one of the better bases I have tried) and the sweet caramelized onions. The walnut was used sparingly and had an oily taste which comes from older nuts. The base sauce lacked seasoning and I had to ask for some garlic oil to add to the flavours.
The saving grace for the restaurant was its Cheesecake (Rs.325) which came with a dollop of fresh mascarpone cheese on the side and a dash of strawberry coulis. Cheesecake was very soft and smooth, the mascarpone fresh and creamy. There was a slight hint of milk powder in the taste, but I was ready to overlook it as the cheesecake was well-balanced where the sweetness was not overpowering and the marriage of strawberry coulis and mascarpone cheese was perfect.
Cheesecake with Mascarpone Cheese
It is possible that the restaurant maybe having its teething troubles, but non attentive servers, lack of seasoning in the base sauce, slightly burnt pizza and over the top pricing does not warrant a go back to the place, especially when there are some of the finest Italian eateries just round the corner. I hope the management sits back and takes notice!
Ratings out of 5
Food: 3 | Ambiance: 4 | Service: 2.5 |Overall: 3
Meal for two without alcohol: INR 1500 + taxes | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes | Wheelchair Access: No
Timing: 11.30 am to 11.30 pm
Address: G-14, A-Wing, Ventura, Hiranandani Business Park, Powai, Mumbai 400 076|
Telephone: 022- 61669088/ 89
This is an anonymous review with the meal paid for by the author. Apologies for poor picture quality as this was not a planned review.
