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Gourmet ingredients coupled with traditional recipes make the pizza festival at Oregano far from the usual.
MOST of us have grown up enjoying fat deep dish pizzas that are home-delivered and come with lots of cheese and toppings. But then there was a change of tide a couple of years ago,and now café-style restaurants in the city offer thin-crust pizzas that come from wood-fired ovens. Pizza festivals have been in plenty too and its with mixed feelings (some skepticism,but also some optimism considering the chef is Italian and has a good past record) that we approached the pizza festival at Oregano,the Italian dinner-only restaurant at JW Marriott Chandigarh.
We catch the chef in the thick of the action when hes plating up a fresh batch of pizzas for the guests. As the menu appears,along with a refreshing glass of Sangria,the chef is quick to point out,Its a mix of pizzas from different regions of Italy and I made the choice keeping in mind famous Italians and choosing pizza styles that come from the areas they belong to.
That bit of information is immensely useful in studying the menu that brings in a smorgasbord of options and tongue twisters like Arrotolata Vegetariana (more on that later). The first thing to notice is how after the list of gourmet pizzas come the real surprises rolled pizzas,Mamma-style pizzas and even pizza desserts. In the gourmet section,Michelangelo Buonarroti is a tribute to the Renaissance artist who was born in Caprese in the Tuscany area of Italy. So the thin-crust pizza is rather simple with a topping of Caprese salad,honey balsamic reduction,basil and arugula (better known here as rocket salad leaves). Its delightfully light and flavoursome.
If you relish simplicity in meals,the Pavarotti with its buffalo milk mozzarella,basil and oregano toppings seasoned with garlic-porcini oil is worth every bite. But our real treat came with the Mamma-style pizza called Govi. True to its name,its what busy mothers in their kitchen rustle up in a jiffy and this is Chef Antonellos version. With basic ingredients like potatoes (yes,the carbs meter just went up) with basil pesto and green beans,its a really simple pizza thats far from the usual cheesy ones. For those looking for a new take on the pizza,try the rolled pizzas that are like huge wraps and the Arrotolato Vegetariana would make even your dietician nod in approval. Bursting with arugula and porcini,onions and fontina cheese,its wholesome and fresh. Though keen to try more,the pizzas,despite their slimness are indeed filling. The dessert pizza list has many choices and we thought the Pizza al Cioccolato Fondente or Chocolate Fondant served with vanilla gelato was a welcome surprise,much like the rest of our meal.
The festival is on till March 15
Meal for two: Rs 2,200 (including taxes)
Location: JW Marriott,Sector 35,Chandigarh
Contact: 3955555
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