Here's our report card on pizza in a kulhad from Prithvi Cafe

Our theatre nut tucked into the quirky addition at Juhu’s popular Prithvi Café. Here’s her report card on the desi-continental jugalbandi

It’s 8 pm, and all the tables at Prithvi Café are occupied. We hurry to stake our claim at one that’s just been vacated. The vibe hasn’t changed much over the years; the energy is visceral — familiar and comforting. The al fresco space has been a crowd favourite, irrespective of Mumbai’s fickle weather. While it offers one of the city’s most authentic theatre experiences, the café holds its own, irrespective of the type of performance being staged inside. The crowd is a mix too, from working professionals to couples, to serious theatrewallahs.

This writer has many intimate memories of this café, and its fare that remains an important part of this nostalgia including the Irish coffee, Sulemani chai, bun maska, and samosas. The café is catered to by Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality Private Limited. We noticed additions to the menu — shawarmas, Amritsari kulchas, hummus bowls, bakes, and sandwiches in a long list. What catches our eye this time are two mud kulhads in the glass display. On the menu, they are listed in the pizza section. “These are kulhad pizzas,” the man behind the counter reveals. We pick both varieties – the barbecue chicken kulhad pizza and the vegetarian pizza farm fresh kulhad pizza (Rs 150 each).

From the mozzarella on top to the delicious toppings of veggies and chicken that you scoop out and bite into, the dish reminds you of a freshly baked pizza. While the texture is soft and mushy, more like a vegetable au gratin, the crunch in the veggies along with a creamy top gives it the familiarity of a pizza. In the non-vegetarian option, the smoked flavour of the chicken does the trick. 

We enjoyed the kulhad pizza enough to want to take some back home. “Can these be re heated at home?” we asked the man behind the counter who looked pleased that the pizzas were a hit with us. “Place the kulhads in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds. Stop. Then heat for 30 seconds again, so that the top and bottom are uniformly heated,” he instructed. The kulhads were neatly packed in boxes and negotiated our long journey home safely. They tasted just as good when reheated. Check it out when you visit the café next. Thank us later.

Time: 10.30 am to 10.30 pm
At: Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu.
Call: 7045940218

Quiz Answers

1. Sir JJ School of Architecture building 
2. St Thomas Cathedral 
3. BMC headquarters
4. Buildings at Horniman Circle 
5. Sir David Sassoon, inside Sir David Sassoon Library and Reading Room
6. Four
7. Textiles
8. Cooperage Bandstand 
9. CSMT (formerly Victoria Terminus) 
10. Asiatic Society of Mumbai (formerly Bombay)

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