Pizza for dessert? I thought Executive Chef John Praveen was pulling a fast one till a nicely browned crust slathered with chocolate, topped with caramel banana, figs, pineapple and cheese arrived at the table. I couldn’t wait for the first bite and he couldn’t wait for my reaction.
My teeth got stuck in the sweet chocolaty crust and the salty cheese did not work for me. I am not a great fan of banana and figs either. I tried to smile, but Chef John sensed my less-than-enthusiastic response to the treat. He pulled up a chair, took a slice and relished every bite of the “ Choco triumph”. “This is exactly how I wanted it to taste,” he smiled. But we agreed that tastes differ and this one was not mine.
The team of chefs at The Gateway has taken up the challenge to be creative and innovative with pizza. The chef assured me that the pizza as a pie was the latest fad. I sipped my ‘ evergreen kiwi milk shake’ waiting for the next surprise.
‘ Hawaian quarto fromagio’ was next and it tasted as exotic as it sounded. The thin crust pizza was coated with four types of cheese (that explains quarto ) – parmesan, mozarella, cheddar and anexotic blue cheese camembert. Pineapple, onion and capsicum slices tweaked with oregano embellished it further. “Never slice a hot pizza” advises the chef. And adds, always rest your pizza for a few moments or else the crust gets soggy and droopy. This one was simply yummy and mouth-melting. The pizza sampling gets better and better. The ‘mangolian chicken’ deserves honourable mention. The soft pizza base is layered with oyster, hot garlic sauce, three kinds of melting bell papers, thin-sliced onions and chicken dumplings along with with thyme and a forest of fried noodles in the centre.
The other attractions from Chef John’s kitchen include Chettinad chicken’ embellished with onion, capsicum, tomato and curry leaf or the ‘mmm Madurai masala meen’ lightened with lemon juice and the ‘Newberg sea food’ with squid, shrimp and salted fish vying for space on the pizza base. Then there is the pesto grilled vegetables sweetened with semisecco tomatoes (pesto rosso verdure) or roasted vegetables that get a splash of rosemary oil (‘mediterraneo’) and the ‘classic vegetarian Caesar’ zipped up with iceberg, garlic fluff, olives and vegetables with shavings of parmesan cheese.
Chef John has selected the 14 veg and non-veg pizzas with care. Pick your favourite one. Buy any two and get a shake free. On till January 26 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Contact 6633000
