Review: Una pizza al metro per favore? Reviewing Pizza Metro Pizza, Bandra West, Mumbai.

I’ll be honest with you guys (Not that I am not already but I won’t try to sound politically correct). This was one of the funnest reviews I went for. It may be partly so because we were at the 4th Annual Mumbai Wine Fest just before we had to be at Pizza Metro Pizza. Bursting with vibrant energy, the Mumbai outlet of the much famed Pizza Metro Pizza outlets in Mumbai by the famous Chef Diego Palladino makes you
feel comfortable and happy as soon as you enter in. The smiling faces, the Copper Pots and Pans, the Wood Fired Oven and the Murals on the walls make you feel like you’re at home away from home.

The ‘Metro’ in Pizza Metro Pizza stands for 1 Meter. Yes, they serve one meter long Pizzas. These have four select toppings as per your choice. The smallest Pizza available is a 12 inch Pizza which is available with only one topping combination. They also offer Half and Three-Quarter Meter pizzas with 2 and 3 topping combinations respectively. They serve their Pizzas with Parmesan Cheese and Chili Oil as opposed to the usually (ab)used Ketchup and Mustard. Another amazing thing I felt with Pizza Metro Pizza was that they do not offer Chicken as a topping on their Pizza, sticking to their roots from their London restaurant, and for me that is a welcome change. In the madness of an overdose of overcooked BBQ Chicken and Chicken Tikka Pizzas, I think the toppings that Pizza Metro Pizza involving Seafood, Pork, Parma Ham and Beef for Non Vegetarians is like a breath of fresh air. They do have Chicken on their Main Course though, just to suit the Indian Palate. But Vegetarians, fret not, for they have a lot to offer to you too, which is spoken about in detail on Gaurav’s review of the restaurant.

Owner of the restaurant Sam accompanied us through the meal and it was truly delightful. I like that they have their goals set in mind in terms of Clientele and in my honest opinion Bandra is the perfect spot for having a well traveled mix of people coming in who know what they’re eating and how should it be. Yet, on the other hand they hope to bring to their tables specials which are not essentially available at the other Pizzerias one would go to, hence opening new avenues for people who want to try authentic stuff. Sure, they are a little on the pricey side but is it all worth the hoopla?

We started out with a glass of their House Wine from Italy but that remains a blur after having had all those wines from the Mumbai Wine Fest. But what brought us back to life were these amazing Beef Meatballs, called Polpette Al Sugo, which were moist and tender, perfectly seasoned and were served in Tomato Sauce (I hope you realize this is Sauce and not Ketchup). Even though the meatballs were seasoned perfectly, the Sauce could use a tad bit more of seasoning. When the dish arrived on the table, it was not exactly steaming hot, maybe it stood on the counter for a bit, but I’ll let that pass because the flavor was spot on!

 Next we tried the Palle Di Riso, which are crispy Rice balls stuffed with Parmesan and Salami. The rice used for stuffing is Arborio Rice, and the cheese makes the inside soft and gooey while the Salami keeps them moist while they are coated with bread crumbs and deep fried to perfection.

Then there was the Pizza. But before we go towards that I must talk about the two handsome men who make the Pizza. Ladies, you’ll be swooning all through, I promise you that much.

We decided to go for two toppings – The Quattro Formaggi and the Proscuitto e Funghi. The Pizza making process was a definite treat to watch, with the tossing and saucing, the wood fired oven, and all that eye candy too, if you know what I mean. In a matter of minutes, our Pizza was ready!

And what a Pizza that was! The crust was not too doughy, yet just rightly crisp, with that signature wood fired oven taste and aroma, and both the toppings were better than I had imagined. But I knew this was not the end of it, and I still wanted Pizza, so I graciously (read : greedily) asked Sam if he could get it packed for me and he obliged. Pizza Metro Pizza is working on getting their own custom made and ventilated Pizza Boxes so that taking Pizza home would be easier while still maintaining the flavor and freshness! I did try the Pizzas post reaching home though, and I would recommend you to eat them hot when they’re just out of the oven.

The next dish was the one I was totally looking forward to, the Bombay Taglioni for Two, which is flambéed and cooked in a wheel of Parmesan Cheese right at your table. We barely had any space left in our stomachs but somehow Sam managed to ask the Chef to make us a smaller portion. Here is how it goes.

And the Taglioni was cooked to perfection, creamy and light with that hint of Sage, with the Pasta that was not disgustingly overcooked and had the perfect bite to it. For 1900 bucks a piece, this is quite an experience.

After all that Yum we went on for the closing act with desserts. Pizza Metro Pizza serves only 4 kinds of desserts, the Panna Cotta, The Caprese, The Tiramisu and a Whole Wheat Cheesecake, The Pastiera. We chose to go with a Tiramisu and a Caprese which is a Chocolate and Almond cake.

The Tiramisu was light and yummy, and the Amaretto cookie on top was delicious, just a little bit of a letdown was that the lady fingers were a tad rubbery. It was a bit of an effort to eat even with the spoon. But the flavor was spot on. Definitely the best Tiramisu I have had in Mumbai so far, after the ones at Cornice and Woodside who serve their Tiramisu with Chocolate cake layers. Definitely worth a try.

The Caprese was just okay. It was Chocolate and Almond alright, but well, that was it. With some powdered Sugar on top. I’d go back for the Tiramisu and maybe try the Panna Cotta next time.

All in all, it was an evening well spent, and we left the restaurant with a full stomach, wide smiles, and a hand crafted Aluminum Foil bag for carrying the leftover Pizzas. What a sweet gesture! Thank you so much for having us over, guys, and all the very best! Hope you keep it up and stay unique for many more months and years to come!