Vera Pizza...instant hit with gourmands
By 2009-3-2 11:42:30
Italain food for me means a few key things: great quality cured meats, Mediterranean veggies like olives,artichokes and sundried tomatoes, and
flavourful Italian cheeses like Gorgonzola, Scamorza, Pecorino and Parmesan, and of course, thin crust pizzas. Blushing vine-ripened tomatoes, aromatic extra virgin olive oil, fragrant fresh basil, tangy balsamic vinegar fresh focaccia and ciabatta, are also equally important as catalysts of a gastronomic pleasure.
Tonino, it must be said, has made a name for itself when it comes to pizzas and Sunday brunches, and the original outlet on the increasingly crowded Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road has a justifiably devoted clientele. It’s new offspring, Vera Pizza — in the restaurant hub of Masjid Moth next to Greater Kailash II in south Delhi, cheek-by-jowl with Mainland China, Amigo and Smokehouse Grill — is less accomplished than its parent, even if it is quite as comely.
And the absence of many dishes that I count as essential accouterments of an Italian eatery did leave me a trifle forlorn.
Taking into account that many — or even most — Indians may not share my views on these essentials, nevertheless a restaurant should be prepared for the oddball diner like myself, who may look for these items in the very impressive looking separate leather-bound menus for pizzas and the other courses of an Italian meal.
I acutely felt the absence of the very popular starter of proscuitto (thinly sliced, cured ham) and melon, not to mention the almost mandatory platter of antipasto with a selection of salame and olives. More so since such a variety of charcuterie is now available off the shelves in good stores, never mind the top-of-the-line San Daniele ham at the Oberoi Delicatessen.
Stepping into the space of a defunct restaurant has its advantages — Vera Pizza’s perch has had a succession of restaurants and lounge bars, with Kuki still throbbing away on the ground floor — so cocktails and liquor are already available. But thankfully, Vera Pizza looks nothing like its predecessors. If anything, it has echoes of two other older restaurants in Delhi, La Piazza and West View, with faux stone flagged floors, roughly textured walls and rustic wooden chairs. Even the menus have a familiar typeface....
The usually-attentive waiter forgot to show me the wine list (maybe most people never want wines!) but a subsequent email from the restaurant revealed a well-priced selection from all the popular major wine areas. Not that the meal demanded wine, but often it gives an inkling of what the owner or chefs think about pairing of wine and food.
Tonino, it must be said, has made a name for itself when it comes to pizzas and Sunday brunches, and the original outlet on the increasingly crowded Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road has a justifiably devoted clientele. It’s new offspring, Vera Pizza — in the restaurant hub of Masjid Moth next to Greater Kailash II in south Delhi, cheek-by-jowl with Mainland China, Amigo and Smokehouse Grill — is less accomplished than its parent, even if it is quite as comely.
And the absence of many dishes that I count as essential accouterments of an Italian eatery did leave me a trifle forlorn.
Taking into account that many — or even most — Indians may not share my views on these essentials, nevertheless a restaurant should be prepared for the oddball diner like myself, who may look for these items in the very impressive looking separate leather-bound menus for pizzas and the other courses of an Italian meal.
I acutely felt the absence of the very popular starter of proscuitto (thinly sliced, cured ham) and melon, not to mention the almost mandatory platter of antipasto with a selection of salame and olives. More so since such a variety of charcuterie is now available off the shelves in good stores, never mind the top-of-the-line San Daniele ham at the Oberoi Delicatessen.
Stepping into the space of a defunct restaurant has its advantages — Vera Pizza’s perch has had a succession of restaurants and lounge bars, with Kuki still throbbing away on the ground floor — so cocktails and liquor are already available. But thankfully, Vera Pizza looks nothing like its predecessors. If anything, it has echoes of two other older restaurants in Delhi, La Piazza and West View, with faux stone flagged floors, roughly textured walls and rustic wooden chairs. Even the menus have a familiar typeface....
The usually-attentive waiter forgot to show me the wine list (maybe most people never want wines!) but a subsequent email from the restaurant revealed a well-priced selection from all the popular major wine areas. Not that the meal demanded wine, but often it gives an inkling of what the owner or chefs think about pairing of wine and food.
From economictimes.