Mumbai food: Why this Khar eatery's Neapolitan pizzas are a must try

Diavola

Gustoso
Food: Tasty
Service: Helpful
Ambience: Cheery

Diavola. Pics/Tehniyat Razvi

A familiar sight of a pink scooter parked near a table, a wood-fired oven in the open kitchen and a mural of an Italian market greeted us as we stepped into the Neapolitan restaurant, Gustoso, a rebranded avatar of Pizza Metro Pizza in Khar (its other outlet in Kemps Corner has been rebranded too). However, our sense of déjà vu ended here.

Ciabatta

Over strains of foot-tapping Italian music, we pored over the menu, offering new dishes in its antipasti, soups, salads, pasta, risotto, entrées, desserts and particularly, the pizza section. The original varieties like Chinese Room and Club 9 are now replaced by Parmigiana, Tricolore and Pesto E Pollo.

Pizza Alla Nutella

That's the handiwork of consultant chef Giulio Adriani, who was roped in by the owners, Indianapoli Hospitality, to curate the new menu. For the uninitiated, the Italian pizza maker, who has won four pizza world championships, is known for his signature pizza, the Montanara, a re-visioned Neapolitan pie featuring an inflated crust created from flash-fried dough. While we would have liked to try this particular variety, which unfortunately didn't feature on the menu, we tried three other pizza offerings and here's how they fared in our taste test:

A wood-fired oven in the open kitchen

Diavola (Rs 750): Though a remnant from the previous menu, the pizza has been revamped with toppings like spicy honey, ‘soppressata' salami (Italian dry salami), jalapeno and mozzarella that appear on a bed of their signature tomato sauce, supposedly cooked from an old-world recipe using the popular San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. A burst of flavours greeted us when we bit into the 12-inch, piping hot pizza with a melt-in-your-mouth soft and thin crust. The rich and tangy sauce blended well with the cheesy blobs and thin discs of the savoury salami (one of the best sausages we've tried in a while) while honey added a hint of sweetness.

Rating: 4.5/5

Ciabatta (Rs 750): With a fluffy, pillow-ey texture, the simple and homely rectangular pizza transported us to the beautiful bylanes of Naples. While the waiter had warned us that this one wouldn't feature a sauce, we didn't miss it either, considering it was generously topped with bell peppers and mozzarella. Adding to the taste, was the crust, stuffed with ricotta scamorza, an Italian variety of cow's milk cheese, which was refreshingly fresh compared to regular cheese bursts.
Rating: 4/5

Pizza Alla Nutella (Rs 500): While chocolate pizzas have been around for a while now, this one had our vote because it came stuffed, rather than topped, with gooey Nutella and sliced almonds. Baked to perfection, it made for a sweet ending to the meal.
Rating: 3.5/5