If anyone were to ask me what my favourite food was, potato in its many avatars would take the first five spots. The next five would be taken by bread and cheese. And pizza is one that brings the two (bread and cheese) together in a jolly way.
Alt.Pizza
News of Singapore’s Alt.Pizza opening an outlet in Koramangala was reason enough to trek to that part of town — believe me, it is a trek from Yelahanka. Incidentally, Alt Rock is supposed to be a reaction to mainstream commercial music and grew out of the independent music scene in the ‘70s. All that changed when Kurt Cobain sang of something that ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’.
Alt.Pizza claims to be not traditional Italian—that is where the “Alt” comes in. The pizza base is sourdough. Ravindran Nahappan, founder of Foodsta Kitchens, who brought Alt.Pizza to Bengaluru says, “We’ve brought a little of our very own sourdough Starter Sophia from Singapore.” The house-made starter is nine years old.
Echoing the group-friendly theme, Alt.Pizza is all bright, white and airy with an alcove selling fun merchandise including tote bags, socks, t-shirts, doggie bandanas and a quirky card game. We take our places outside with a view of the road, watching life pass us by as we stuff our faces with all manner of comfort food with a twist.
From the small plates, we try Oh Sweet Garlic, where dear old garlic bread gets a rearrangement of flavours thanks to herbs and orange blossom honey—very fancy and fun.
Though Alt.Pizza says it is not Italian, inspiration comes from the Mediterranean country in the beetroot carpaccio, where the thinly sliced meat or fish is replaced by beetroot and kale dressed with poppy seed honey for a crisply sweet outing. It is guaranteed to make fervent converts of all who turns their noses at the healthy root.
Ever wondered how much cheese is too much? The answer — at least in the Bang Bang Burrata — is there can never be too much cheese. The mozzarella ball swims about happily in a homemade malak tahini dressing and Sichuan chilli jam. The dough fritters that accompany this small plate hit the sweet spot that craves fried comestibles. The meatballs in the lamb kawarma are mildly spiced, hummus the right side of creamy and the za’atar flavoured flat bread a fitting mate.
Now we come to the pizzas— all the recipes are courtesy of founding chefs Matthew White and Daniel Chin. We try I’m a fun-gi which is a combination of button, king oyster and pioppino mushrooms. Onions, mozzarella, parmesan, truffle oil and a white sauce complete the pie. Meat lover features lamb meatballs, pork salami and chicken fennel sausage.
If, like me, you tend to leave the crusts behind on the plate, Alt.Pizza offers a choice of dips—blue cheese or olive aioli to help finish them off. And then it is time for dessert and the alternative snicker bar with its salted caramel, coconut ice cream and roasted peanuts. There is no space for the mac & cheese but that is another reason to return.
