That's what you'll get if you order a pizza from an outstanding delivery joint in Andheri
Piggy bank
It's been eight days from the time of writing that we ordered three pizzas from Baking Bad — a late-night delivery place in Lokhandwala — for the purpose of this review. That's a fair amount of intervening time for our gustatory judgment to have been muddled about how these pizzas tasted. There are frankly only two possible scenarios under which we would have remembered what they had been like — a) they were so terribly bad that we made a mental note to never order from the place again, or b) they were so remarkably good that the flavours have lingered in our memory even after a week, in the way a happy thought from childhood remains etched in your adult brain.
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Thankfully, it's the second scenario that applies in the case of this eatery. Baking Bad is a godsend for the denizens of Andheri, especially those who have rumbling tummies after the clock has ticked past 1 am. The non-veg pizzas, especially, are good enough to give all their competitors a collective run for their money. And the main reason for this is the innovative selection of toppings that go beyond the usual salami, ham, smoked chicken, etc, etc, which most other places restrict themselves to.
Beef me up
Take the three items we ordered — beef me up ('345), piggy bank ('365) and ocean glory ('395). The first has a thin-crust base that's loaded with seasoned tenderloin chunks, a complementary selection of veggies and — the icing on the cake, if it can be called that — blue cheese. For, that's what makes all the difference, since it lends each slice a stinky goodness that is usually missing in mid-range pizza places. Of course, this also means that you should probably skip the beef me up if you turn your nose up at pungent types of cheese. But others would be doing their taste buds a friendly turn by opting for this dish.
The piggy bank, on the other hand, has regular mozzarella, and its star toppings are slow-roasted pulled pork and a slathering of bacon jam. There are also stray arugula leaves scattered over the pizza that deserve a special mention. And all the ingredients blend together to give the dish a certain balance of flavours that would sit well even on a finicky palate.
Ocean glory
Then there's ocean glory, and to be honest, it isn't every day that we order a pizza that features cephalopods and crustaceans. But we decide to experiment and thus opt for this item that has sriracha-marinated shrimps and calamari as the main toppings. And what strikes us immediately is the size of the shrimps — far from being the impoverished and shrivelled variety, these are robust specimens that are evidently fleshy. Plus, they have a crunchiness that adds to the interplay of textures, given the chewiness of the calamari. So the overall effect is such that we are convinced about trying out seafood pizza on a more regular basis, considering we are usually the sort to order a classic pepperoni one and call it a day.
And that's why we are compelled to give the place two thumbs up, no questions asked. This eatery isn't afraid of ruffling feathers by playing around with a variety of non-veg toppings, when many other places in the same price range play it safe by sticking to chicken. They also have the guts to shun the deep-dish base that is de rigueur in the country. But most of all, it's the flavour of their pizzas that bowls us over. So, try retaining the name of Baking Bad the way we remember the taste of their dishes, so that the next time you have late-night hunger pangs in Andheri, you aren't stuck for options.
Time 7 pm to 4 am
At Lokhandwala, Andheri West.
Call 9999635099
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