Wrap Up

When restaurateur Andrea Aftab Pauro shortlisted venues for a new restaurant, everyone thought the cushy sitting and delightful menu of Baci would be replicated.

The new cafeacute; Amici brings popular tidbits and pizzas, spiked for Indian tastebuds

When restaurateur Andrea Aftab Pauro shortlisted venues for a new restaurant, everyone thought the cushy sitting and delightful menu of Baci would be replicated. But Pauro has instead brought out a smart cafeacute; called Amici at Khan Market. 8220;Baci is for connoisseurs who would sip wine and drool over their plate of pasta in a comfortable environment. Amici, on the other hand, offers quick bites in a typical cafeacute; setting,8221; he says.

Located in the same lane that leads to Chonas and The Big Chill, Amici boasts a two-storey setup. The first floor comes across as a typical cafeacute; with posters hammered on walls and shelves stocked with cookie jars and scrumptious desserts in tumblers, priced between Rs 140 and Rs 180. The second floor turns out to be a diner8217;s delight, with a stone-oven stationed in one corner and overlooking a terrace 8212; you can sit back on a balmy afternoon and monitor your pizza being made right in front of you.

The menu at Amici threads in tidbits of popular snacks and stitches them together with classic Italian delicacies. 8220;At Baci I learnt that everyone cannot adapt to Italian flavours. Even Baci8217;s menu is 10 per cent tempered to suit Indian taste buds.8221; says Pauro. At Amici, there is typical cafeacute; food like fatoush and pita salad Rs 230, tandoor wraps with mint mayo Rs 190 and even tofu burgers Rs 280. Or you can go for batter-fried fish with calamari and shrimps in chilli mayo dressing Rs 440 and wraps inspired by Bombay to Beirut. A Colaba Special Panini Wrap comes with delicious tuna and coriander, while the Beirut Wrap is filled with chicken shish touk and The New Yorker has layers of tenderloin with mustard mayo all priced between Rs 280 and Rs 360. The cafeacute; serves coffees made with beans of the Italian brand Illy, but if you want to give a miss to espresso and affogato, there are chocolate-and peanut butter shakes and grilled banana-and-chocolate shakes Rs 140 each.

With a fancy stone-oven installed in the cafeacute;, the thin-crusted pizzas are at their experimental best and their names as wacky as they come with Confusion Confucius Chilli Chicken, Shakahari Pizza, Starving Celebrity and Popeye8217;s Pie priced between Rs 270 and Rs 430 crowding the menu. They make no claims to being Italian, and instead sport an Indian undertaste, thanks to the sprinkling of cilantro leaves or the smattering of paneer cubes.

Meal for Two: Rs 1,000
Contact: 43587191
Location: 47, Middle Lane, Khan Market