The Italian job

Pesto chicken pizza. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Ever since it opened its doors in 2000 in Bandra, restaurateur AD Singh's Mediterranean-themed Olive Bar & Kitchen has taught the city to relish a vibe that's easy, fun and minimalistic. However, the food that Olive serves up is not easy to carry, points out chef Irfan Pabaney, country head of SodaBottleOpenerWala, another brand by Singh. "People do order and pack stuff from Olive, but it's a very in-restaurant dining menu. So, we thought, ‘Why not offer what Olive does best to people at large?'" shares Pabaney, about what prompted them to launch their new pizza delivery venture, Olive Pizzeria.

Caramelised onion and feta pizza

Conceptualised by Pabaney, the pizzeria offers Neapolitan-style gourmet pizzas, pastas and pull-apart breads across the city from kitchens in Andheri West and BKC. With nine and 12-inch options such as wild mushroom pizza, classic margherita pizza, BBQ chicken pizza and OP signature pepperoni pizza; pastas including penne in porcini cream, spaghetti aglio olio, and mac and cheese; and a couple of pull-apart breads, the menu is a happy blend of classic and new flavours. There's also a make-your-own-pasta section. Pabaney tells us that their focus has been on three main components - the base, sauce and cheese, a Danish variety. "We wanted to make sure the food was simple and familiar to people," he adds.

OP signature pepperoni pizza

A big win for the pizzas when they arrive on a Saturday afternoon are the thin, crisp bases - a welcome change from the soggy slices that sweat and stick to delivery boxes. The secret to this, Pabaney informs, is a zig-zag corrugated base on which each pizza sits, as opposed to being directly placed inside the delivery box. It ensures better air circulation, we're told. We kick off our Neapolitan journey with the caramelised onion and feta pizza (Rs 535 for 12-inch; Rs 375 for nine-inch), which is fresh and fragrant. The caramelised onions offer a mild sweetness that complements the crumbled feta and the béchamel sauce base; they also throw in a box of chips to amp up the crunch. The pesto chicken pizza (Rs 595; Rs 495) features succulent shreds of poultry marinated in a nutty pesto sauce. Although flavourful, with generous portions, both these pizzas are a tad dry to our liking - and so we use the creamy cheese dip (Rs 150) to finish them off.

Pesto and smoked scamorza pull-apart bread with aglio olio dip

The OP signature pepperoni pizza (Rs 695; Rs 595) and the pesto and smoked scamorza pull-apart bread (Rs 195) emerge winners. Each slice of the pepperoni pizza is juicy, with a briny, coarse black olive tapenade that cuts through the meatiness, while the pull-apart bread is pillowy-soft and layered with pesto sauce. It holds its ground alone, but can also be paired with the creamy cheese dip.

Chef Irfan Pabaney

At a time when several new pizza delivery joints are mushrooming across the city, Olive Pizzeria offers classics that have stood the test of time at competitive prices; but it might need a little more game to make it to the upper crust.

Log on to https://linktr.ee/olivepizzeria or @olivepizzeriaindia on Instagram