Pronto might be to Tardeo what Candies is to Bandra. But can it pull off a Candies in Bandra? The answer, fellow diners, might lie in its thin-crust pizza
Pronto might be to Tardeo what Candies is to Bandra. But can it pull off a Candies in Bandra? The answer, fellow diners, might lie in its thin-crust pizza
If there's one thing we've learnt to take away from a takeaway it's: don't try to be a restaurant.
It's right next to our second tenet on restaurant philosophy, which reads: be true to your tables, you never know when they could turn on you. We usually charge for the third and fourth tenet.
But to get to the point of this exercise, which they tell us is a review, let's talk about the experience of eating at Pronto's new outlet in Bandra.
It's clean, it's bright, though not necessarily cheerful, despite a wall that's painted red. There are three tables in the enclosed section that can seat four people each.
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| The Pronto's Special pizza has marinated herbed chicken, chicken sausage, chicken salami and bits of onion and capsicum |
The day we decided to slide by, we sat next to a family of far too many, who didn't seem engrossed enough by their food to even play with it.
We first ordered the 8" Pronto's Special (Rs 160), which is a pizza with bits of marinated chicken, chicken sausage and chicken salami with onion and capsicum.
We couldn't spot the chicken salami, but the pieces of herbed chicken and sausage were prominent enough to shift our focus to the pizza base, which didn't have enough tomato sauce for us to delightedly sink our chops into.
Next we tried the Balinese Curry (Rs 175), which is served with the option of garlic bread or herbed rice. Why order a curry at an essentially pizza-pasta-sandwich joint? Simple. Because it's on the menu.
Don't expect us to cut the management any slack for ordering a dish that might not be their best. If it's not good enough, what's it doing on the menu?
If you do order the Veg Balinese Curry, make sure you're in touch with your inner control-freak, because chances are unless you specify at least thrice that you'd like the 'v-e-g-e-t-a-r-i-a-n' one, you might not get it.
And then the curry will sit there getting cold and sludgy, until the staff grudgingly takes it away, by which time your dinner companion will be through with her meal and you'll be hungry and sad.
The curry is good when it does arrive and there's enough and more comfort to be found in the mashed potato and herbed rice that accompany it.
The Mango Cheesecake (Rs 125) we ordered was nice, but cheesecakeu00a0it wasn't. The staff is still trying to get its act together, and the food here is far from distinctive.
Take-out is an option if you're looking to grab a quick bite or spending a lazy Monday at home when Candies is closed. So, no, Pronto is not yet ready to pull a Candies in Bandra.
At Pronto, Sham's Palace, 98, Hill Road, Bandra (W).
Call 26412651/ 61
Pronto didn't know we were there. The GUIDE reviews anonymously and pays for its meals.
