Around Town: Biomedical engineer-turned-restaurateur brings Chicago’s deep dish pizza to Mumbai at Pass The Salt
Pass The Salt in Kala Ghoda is helmed by self-taught chef Kruti Sanghvi and her husband Vishal Shah.
5 min read
Helmed by self-taught chef Kruti Sanghvi and her husband Vishal Shah, the café in Kala Ghoda specialises in Chicago-style double crust deep dish pizza and signature thin crust pizza. (Express Photo)Home kitchen-turned-Vile Parle-based delivery kitchen, Pass The Salt, has spread its wings and taken flight, resulting in a new ‘pizza café’ in Fort.
Helmed by self-taught chef Kruti Sanghvi and her husband Vishal Shah, the café in Kala Ghoda specialises in Chicago-style double crust deep dish pizza and signature thin crust pizza. The deep dish is a 2-inch tall pizza with a thick dough base, a generous layer of cheese and toppings, another thin layer of dough, and a chunky tomato sauce on top. We tried the San Gennaro (Rs 1,150 for 7”), which was filled with onions, roasted red peppers, banana peppers, black olives, and green jalapeños, and found it indulgent.
From their thin crust selection, we opted for the Hawaiian Barbeque (Rs 750, 9”). Though this writer is not a fan of pineapple on pizza, this Vienna-style pizza impressed with pineapple marinated in a spicy masala and paired with grilled onion rings, red paprika and mozzarella. It was delightfully spicy, as noted on the menu. The laminated thin crust itself was a unique hybrid of a croissant and a pizza base – flaky yet sturdy.
From craving to cooking
“I enjoyed Chicago’s deep dish pizza when I was studying in the US, but back home in Mumbai, there wasn’t anyone serving it,” shared Sanghvi, 33, a biomedical engineer by profession who discovered her true passion is cooking. In early 2020, she put down her papers, hoping to pursue a course in culinary arts or learn from a chef, but the pandemic disrupted those plans.
Earl Grey and Fig Tea Cake and Garlic Rolls served at Pass The Salt cafe. (Express Photo)
“The first few months were spent cooking at home, including trying out Chicago-style deep dish pizza. The positive feedback from friends and family led us to convert a spare room in my parent’s house in Juhu into a delivery kitchen in September 2020,” Sanghvi explained. Recognising that the deep dish might take time to gain traction, they decided to offer thin crust pizzas as well. Her husband suggested creating a flaky crust similar to croissant or puff pastry. “But they would get soggy considering the fat content so after an extensive experimentation with dough, yeast, and fat, we developed a unique crust,” she noted.
Mac & Cheese Deep Dish. (Express Photo)
Initially, they operated solely on pre-orders. A positive response and a growing repeated customer base prompted them to find physical space for a cloud kitchen. By February 2021, they had a functional cloud kitchen and partnerships with delivery platforms Swiggy and Zomato, delivering across Mumbai, from Colaba to Borivali.
Pass The Salt Pizza Cafe. (Express Photo)
“A year ago, we knew we were ready to expand but we didn’t want to start another cloud kitchen. We decided to take the leap,” Sanghvi said. Her husband Vishal, 33, who had been involved in the family’s jewellery business also had dreams of having a restaurant. “We named ourselves ‘Pass The Salt’ at the very early stages, because we always envisioned a restaurant, even though many suggested using ‘pizza’ in the name,” Shah added.
Inside the pizza cafe
Nestled inside a heritage building behind Bombay House in Fort, Pass The Salt boasts an olive-green wall and a white arched ceiling adorned with hand-painted flowers. An oval porthole window offers a glimpse into the kitchen, highlighting its gleaming steel ovens. The all-vegetarian menu features 16 pizza options—equally divided between thin crust and Chicago-style deep dish—alongside a variety of sharing plates.
Sweet Heat Melt Grill Sandwich. (Express Photo)
Standouts include the chef’s special spaghetti croquettes served with in-house marinara and baked potatoes with beans. The menu also offers grilled sandwiches, calzones, burrata, and salads. For dessert, the Earl Grey & Fig Tea Cake (Rs 600) is a must-try. While we found ‘Pass The Salt, Please!’ (Rs 450), which combines parmesan gelato with tomato granita and pink salt, very innovative, it would benefit from a touch less salt. True to its ‘pizza café’ description, Pass The Salt has partnered with Koinonia Coffee Roasters to offer a selection of specialty coffees, including artisanal hot brews and cold coffees.
When: Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am to 11.30 pm
Where: 8/10 Calcot House, Mudhana Shetty Marg, Behind Bombay House, Fort, Mumbai
Price for two: Rs 2,500
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