Mumbai Food: A slice of Italy in Khar

Giulio's Montanara

For almost a year, Khar's popular Italian restaurant Gustoso, owned by Arja Sridhar, Jay Mehta and Sam Malde, had downed its shutters. And for those who have been missing their classic Neapolitan pizzas, it's now open and has a lot more to offer. The revamped space has a cosy bar close to the entrance as well as a picturesque al fresco section.

Old team-hand, chef Giulio Adriani, who shuttles between New York and Mumbai, has curated the menu. "We are at the intersection of tradition and innovation. The idea of a pizza is old, yet it has kept up with the times. We try to be as authentic as possible, but we eat with our eyes, too. So, we ensure the flavour experience is as good as the visual experience. Clients today love blogging and posting about food, so we re-looked at the cutlery, and have introduced modern plating," adds Adriani.

Our favourite new addition to their menu is Giulio's 'Montanara' (Rs 750). When we bite into a thin slice, we notice a delicate crunch in the crust. "After hand-stretching the pizza, we lightly fry it and then bake it. Baking does away with the grease," says Adriani. The pizza is topped with San Marzano tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil and parmesan. Another new addition is fichi e gorgonzola (Rs 800), which has figs, walnuts, gorgonzola and mozzarella. The restaurant uses special organic flour sourced from Rajasthan. The lone ingredient that Adriani misses in Mumbai is Italian cherry tomatoes; he finds Indian counterparts too acidic.

While we browse the menu, Shridhar makes us try a Bellini (Rs 850), one of the many classic cocktails that they offer. They also offer wine by the glass.

Parmigiana di melanzan. Pics/Sameer Markande

Additions to the small plates section include dishes like the oyster mushrooms and goat cheese crostini (R650). A vegetarian anti pasti to try is the parmigiana di melanzane (Rs 650), made with slices of baked eggplant with layers of tomato sauce, parmesan, mozzarella and basil.

Giulio Adriani

One of Adriani's challenges has been to keep the kitchen up to the mark with their wide pasta menu that includes everything from gnocchi to pappardelle. A creamy taleggio cheese addition is the gnocchi gustosi (R850), a potato and spinach gnocchi that gets a nutty flavour from roasted hazelnuts. The bigger dessert menu will please the sweet-toothed. Try the homemade chocolate lava cake with berry compote and ice cream (Rs 700) or fresh fruit tarts (Rs 600). Or you could just go for a classic tiramisu (Rs 550).

Oyster mushrooms and goat cheese crostini

At: Gustoso, Jharna Apartments, Khar West.
Time: 7 pm to 1 am (kids below 12 not allowed; will open for lunch soon)
Call: 7045000010

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get the latest updates