Travel Destinations » Restaurants in Mumbai

Fast, refreshing and hassle-free, oven-hot pizzas are just the ticket on a rainy day. At Cuffe Parade’s Pizzeria-Birdys by Taj outlet, curtains of rain drummed a happy tune on the large picture windows as we munched on our steaming, oozingwith-cheese 8” pizzas.

The 24-cover eatery is a favorite hangout with the foot-tapping, restless younger generation from the area who rub shoulders with distinguished senior citizens. Powdered dowagers mingle with youngsters with Liz-Taylor-as-Cleopatra-make-up and the convivial eatery is generally filled with the lively strains of country and western music, Indo-pop and hard rock.

This no-frills restaurant is not marked for culinary sophistication. The functional decor echoes the simple robust fare. Here one can order a variety of pizzas such as the plain cheese (8” for Rs 90), the all American (Rs 190) which is a basic cheese pizza with pepperoni; and the Hawaiian (ham and pineapple) version which is priced at Rs 115. Local favorites such as talk of the town (Rs 105) with capsicum, onions and mushrooms and Bombay masala (Rs 100) which consists of -Indian spices and herbs sprinkled over a basic cheese pizza are also popular. There is a variety of other vegetarian and non-vegetarian toppings, too. The speciality of the house is the 8” pizza, with cheese slathered on top and stuffed inside the crust as well. All the pizzas are concocted with fresh dough, said the steward as he led us to the production area. Here the kitchen staff were briskly rolling out the dough and then deftly coating it with blood-red tomato puree, sauces and toppings as the orders flew in fast and furious.

You can peruse the bill of fare displayed on one wall or if you are myopic, the menu placed on the table comes in handy. My daughter ordered a tandoori paneer stuffed crust pizza (Rs 135) garnished with spring onion and capsicum. Her eyes closed in ecstasy with every cheesy bite while we bit into our crunchy one with its generous topping of barbequed chicken. It was a serving of fabulous flavor. My husband’s sausage and mushroom pizza arrived sans mushrooms but the mistake was rectified promptly and courteously.

If you are not in the mood for Pizzeria’s rich, earthy pizzas, opt for the Birdys by Taj fare displayed in glass counters on one side. There are fresh plain croissants (Rs 10) and innovations (Rs 20 upwards) like tandoori chicken croissant, masala cheese croissant, chocolate chip croissant, etc. The puffs (Rs 15 —45) are loaded with chicken, cheese, potatoes, peas; and sandwiches range from Rs 25 to Rs 40. Interesting variations are the Red Indian sandwich which has tandoori chicken “jungli” and terrific tuna, a medley of tuna, tomato and capsicum. The chunky mint and cheese (Rs 20) is also worth trying. Pastries (Rs 25 to Rs 30) like black forest, nougat et al find place here as well as desserts like chocolate mousse and chocolate donuts (Rs 15-25).

All in all, Pizzeria is a pleasant place to retreat to on a hot muggy afternoon or on a romantic rainy evening when you have a simple yet filling meal on your mind.