Casa Mia or mera casa?

Ghatkopar goes Italian without upsetting desi flavour lovers.u00a0If the rustic bruschetta is too original for you, go for the achari chicken-topped pizza

'Welcome home' says the menu. Mumbai's latest Italian eatery has opened in Ghatkopar, and calls itself Casa Mia or 'my home'.
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It's a home that is at once appealing and friendly. Neat rows of white chairs and square wood-topped tables greet you.

Pasta shapes are etched on to plate glass windows while paper placemats carry catchy Italian sayings, with the expected Italian cruet of olive oil oregano, chilli flakes and salt and pepper shakers gracing every table.



Breaking away from the conventional white or dark wood and brick interiors that have now become the hallmark of Italian restaurants in the city, this casa is bright and colourful, with a display kitchen framed by olive green walls.

The menu too is a patchwork of colour; each of the sections highlighted by a different pastel shade.

Every page carries a description of ingredients commonly used, with a guide to eating the Italian-way incorporated on the last page.
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So, for the uninitiated, Italians 'never eat pasta and bread together', and they 'twirl the pasta strands on forks and eat'.

While most of the menu includes traditional Italian dishes, a third of the menu is devoted to Indian-Italian fusion.
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To be fair to both, we ordered a dish from each style, beginning with a Bruschetta (Rs 110) and Tandoori Chicken and Scamorza Salad (Rs 230).
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Though a bit unwieldy (since the cherry tomatoes kept rolling off the olive oil and basil drizzled bread), the Bruschetta was deliciously rustic in appeal.
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The balsamic drizzled bitter salad leaves offset the sweet, smoky flavours of the Scamorza cheese, but the chicken was tandoori only by Italian standards.

Casa Mia flirts somewhat unsuccessfully with Indian flavours; the Achari Chicken Pizza (Rs 230 for a 9-inch) was a great crispy pizza, but local pizza chains do a better job with Indian toppings.

The chicken had the Indian touch they promised, but not the spicy, piquancy you'd expect from an Achari.
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Missing the smoky, crisp bits of pancetta in the otherwise perfectly palatable Spaghetti Amatriciana (Rs 295), we enquired about the bacon they used and were surprised when informed that it wasn't Italian, but Spanish.
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They might want to rethink this choice.

Instead of the predictable Tiramisu (most eateries muck it up anyway), we went for a Calzone Dolce (Rs 130) and the Tortino (Rs 90).

The crisp, sugar-coated filo pastry calzone triangles with a thick ricotta and nutella filling, served with thick, sweet English custard, are a refreshing new idea that should appeal to those who don't like their desserts too sweet.

The Tortino wasn't warmed adequately. The soft chocolate centre had to be coaxed out of the torte casing. One floret of canned whipped cream does not justify the description 'served with freshly whipped cream.'

Despite the hiccups, Casa Mia is worth a visit.

At: R City Mall, LBS Marg, Ghatkopar (W). Call: 65241555 / 9320129283
Casa Mia didn't know we were there.
The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals.