There’s little that needs to be done when you have a successfully running pizzeria on Mumbai’s most enigmatic corniche. With a few new additions, the menu here is slightly more evolved yet classic at large and true to the South Bombay taste. There's only one - 'Pizza by the bay'.
At a recently held bloggers & influencers meet, the restaurant served us that new fare. Starting off with the Butter Garlic Prawns which were not too heavy with the usual garlic concentrated sauce unlike other places; This one was rendered light with succulent prawns. Immediately next up was the fabulous 'Ravioli di Formaggio'. These golden fried ravioli pockets with the four cheese filling gave a more unified taste unlike its Pizza variation and are seriously addictive. They repeated a few more of the Ravioli basket which got empty after a passing a few hands.
Chicken Lasagna
Next to arrive were the neatly stacked 'Lasagna'. This new entrant on the menu is certainly a looker of a plate with its contrasting crude tomato & mellow béchamel sauce base followed by a quad of lasagna, salad & slice of buttered baguette. The lasagna with minced chicken itself is flavoured well so the sauces just add a new dimension to your palate. The dish is easily a wholesome meal by itself due to the presence of multiple components. The Spinach & Mushroom Risotto arrived almost simultaneously with the lasagna and had to be kept waiting until we finished ravaging the former. Couple of spoons and it feels wholesome in the mouth & comforting in the stomach. The barely cooked spinach plays a decent low-key cameo while ensuring that the Risotto remains memorable.
Being at a pizzeria and quite less has been said about dough and toppings; That's because the pizza section here has been strong since forever with a little need for addition or subtraction. We were offered a few slices from the new 'Classic Pizzeria Quad'(veg) and 'Porker Quad'. Sampling the former and one will find a few hits and misses. The Jalapeno one was my pick for the night. Cannot comment on the latter since it was out of my palate range. Also to reminisce the good times, almost everyone unanimously called for the famous 'Bombay Masala' which has maintained its fanfare and taste quite literally since a long time.
The new addition to the dessert section - 'Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice-Cream' was an average fare. I suggest sticking to the reliable Baked Citrus Cheesecake or Sticky Toffee Pudding.
Overall the new additions bring some variety and flare to the good ol' pizzeria menu card. The Formaggio Ravioli, Lasagna & Mushroom Risotto are definitely recommended and should work well with its townie loyalists. If you've been coming here since many years then you're ought to miss the chirpy 'Pizzeria' and the noisy karaoke at 'Jazz by the bay', else for newcomers it still weaves a serene by-the-bay magic.
*Medium&Rare was invited by Chandni Tolani (Boomerang Media) & Mars Hospitality for this dinner.