The virtual invasion of most
Indian cities by Pizza restaurants has seen the international chains as well as
some desi ones - Pizza Hut, Pizza Corner, Domino’s, Smokin’ Joe’s et al,
opening outlets in our city. While these
people introduced us to real authentic pizzas, the main problem was the pricing-
they transformed what was a typical
inexpensive, lets eat at home, food in the West, into expensive, lets go out
for dinner, fare! European friends
visiting Chennai were quite surprised to see that a Pizza was as, or sometimes
more, expensive than a buffet lunch in a three or four-star hotel.
The need of the hour was someone
with a commitment to deliver a good pizza at a reasonable price; that someone
turned up in the form of young Vaidy, who opened a pizza restaurant called,
appropriately, Pizzaurant in Little Mount where Velachery road takes off from Mount
Road. Thanks to high quality pizzas and reasonable
prices, in no time, the new place caught on and ultimately he had to move to a bigger
place in Velachery, near the Vijayanagar bus stand.
Notwithstanding a recently
introduced Indian menu, Pizzaurant is
really all about pizzas and what yummy pizzas they are! They serve the whole range – the classic Margherita (Rs 70/ 115/ 180 for a 6/9/12
inch) onwards to Chicken BBQ, Hawaiian Delight, Four Seasons and others(85/170/
265) and onward to Oriental Express, Mexican Fireball and others (95/180/275) and Pepperoni Perfection, Meat
Supreme and the Specialty at the high end(Rs 110/210/315).
Stuff like Southern Spice, Paneer
Dynamite, Kheema Connection, take good care of the Indian palate while the
Satvik Select will keep the orthodox client happy.
Regular visits over the years with family and
friends have convinced me that these are the best pizzas in town. There is enough
cheese on each pizza to make a cardiologist tremble, and they are very generous
with the toppings. While my personal favorites are the Pepperoni Perfection,
Hawaiian Dream and the Green All Over, I have never seen anyone complain about
what was on their plate
Starters, breads and sandwiches are
listed between Rs 35 and Rs 70. Though we don’t normally allow starters to spoil
our appetites, we have enjoyed the potato wedges, curly potatoes and garlic
bread, which often comes free. On one occasion, the chicken cutlets were very
nice.
On the North Indian menu, a full
tandoori Chicken comes at Rs 160 while a
mutton biriyani clocks in at Rs 85. They list as “must try”, their Murgh
Saleem, a full tandoori chicken stuffed with kashmiri pulao(rs 250). While one
may wonder what this stuff is doing in a pizza joint, it is very useful on
occasions when most of the gang is here for pizzas and one or two recalcitrant
members crave for Indian food.
Pizzaurant deliver at home, as
long as you don’t live too far off, but insist that the life and limb of the
delivery staff and road safety is very important. So they don’t promise getting
your food to your place within a specified short time.
If you want a real, authentic,
tasty pizza at a reasonable price, just go down to or call Pizzaurant!