A basic matter of cheese

FOOD REVIEW: Sbarro gathers more and more customers for their Indianised pizzas and confectionaries

Nothing can replace the taste of a well-baked thick crust pizza loaded with toppings and cheese. The delicious aroma of a pizza fresh out of oven is capable of making a family forget its differences to come down for a meal together.

No wonder pizza brands from the world over encash this ‘soft corner’ for this comfort food by encouraging Indians to order these cheesy discs for house parties, celebrations and more. 

The culture of going to a pizza outlet to enjoy the dish is still not so popular. Yet few brands have started making their presence felt among which Sbarro’s Connaught Place outlet is one. 

Its recipes dating back to 1956 (as prepared by Mama Sbarro) are supposedly making a stir in the high street markets of the National Capital which welcomes almost every cuisine with open arms. 
First things first, the management takes the concept of ‘fast food’ quite seriously! Be it the pizza slices, pasta bowls, salad containers, desserts or coffee, everything is served within minutes. Whether it has appropriate flavours or no, Metrolife shall reveal thus.
Broadly, there are three pizza bases on the menu – New York Style, Pan Pizza (more like focaccia) and Stuffed Pizza. Then there are the White pizzas - Sbarro’s ‘signature’ dishes. 

Truly, there is nothing better than starting the food journey with the White Ricotta and Mozzrella pizza. Reminding one of the Lebanese pizza/ Cheese Manouche, the White pizza is prepared by diluting the ricotta cheese to make a sauce and adding mozzarella cheese to create a balance for the topping of the pan base. This version tastes better than the White pizza with a topping of ham and pineapple, for the taste of the pineapple doesn’t come out very well.
In New York base, the Cheese Pizza or basic margherita can’t match the taste of New York Supreme which has a crisp base, done near perfect to let the gourmand relish the taste of sausages, capcisum and tomato – which are not overdone. The Spicy Paneer Pizza is not as spicy as its name suggests and is not even crisp enough. It thus remains nothing more than an Italian dish with Indian topping sans authenticity of any of the two cuisines.  

When it comes to the Pan Pizzas, the Veggie Delight turns out to be the star with broccoli included in the toppings of a tender base. Equally good is the Sausage and Jalapeno version with a base that is fresh and exudes flavours of herbs on top – perfect meal when friends get together.  

Coming to the Stuffed Pizzas, a slice of Chicken Makhani is sumptuous for any appetite. The filling of diced chicken with veggies folded in cheese between the two layers of a pizza base is too tempting to resist. Its taste is not really of a butter chicken-infused pizza but a pizza that is full of chicken chunks and served hot!
Take gulps of the refreshing Cucumber Lemonade to let all these go down since there are pastas and desserts too. Give the chefs sufficient time to cook the pasta, else the penne will not go well with the sauce. Safe is to try Tomato Basilico if the preference is red sauce.   
As the need for an accompaniment gets urgent, soft garlic bread is served but doesn’t score too well. Nor does the tomato sauce served with it, gets a thumbs up, unlike the desserts which are a show stealer at this fast food outlet. The Frosted Carrot Cake has the best balance of flavours followed by Fudge Nut Brownie.