Smoking hot!

It sits unassumingly on one of Bengaluru’s most popular streets — Church Street, nuzzled to a corner, minding its own business. But the glass door doesn’t do a very good job of keeping the delightful aroma in. A concoction of melting cheese and churned chocolate and milk hangs in the air. Not to mention the scent of the wood-fired pizzas whose warmth lingers on you.

A new resident, ‘Brik Oven’ is an absolutely adorable place to grab a quick bite. It’s refreshing that the menu doesn’t run pages but it doesn’t make the choice any easier to make. Everything reads (and tastes) delicious so be prepared to make revisits. A range of pizzas, starters, waffles, sundaes and shakes stare temptingly at you. However, take comfort in knowing that you can’t go wrong with your order.

And the open kitchen format makes the wait for the food...fun. Yes, the wait won’t get on your nerves because you can watch the chefs tossing, stretching, topping, baking, mixing and melting your order. The owners themselves get behind the counter and put their best into each order, which is refreshing.

So, stop eating those horrid fat (and slightly stale) crusted pizzas and find ‘Brik Oven’! If you love your thin-crusts, you could probably eat up the whole shop and not feel full. Whether it’s a simple ‘Margherita’ with tomato, buffalo cheese and basil or a ‘Streaking Pigs’, with mozzarella, tomato sauce, caramelised onions and crispy bacon, they are all light on your palate.

Please don’t ask for ‘sauce’ (ketchup), just olive oil your plate. Or just leave it be, the dip won’t better the taste — they are delicious on their own. ‘Marinara’, with San Marzano tomatoes, parmesan, sea salt, oregano, olives, arugula, garlic and extra virgin olive oil, ‘Smokey Marzano’ and ‘The White Funghi’ are just few of the vegetarian toppings. And for the non-vegetarians, there is chicken, lamb and pork. Starters include garlic bread and bread pockets with minced lamb. 

Do not, absolutely do not, leave the place without trying the shakes! ‘Oreo-licious’, ‘Cookie Monster’, ‘The Hangover Shake’, ‘Million Dollar Shake’...just the names are mouth-water worthy. A short list of waffles and sundaes are available too but that’s not the reason you walk in.

The only drawback is that it’s small — just a few benches and chairs fitted in closely. It’d be nice to see a bigger venue, but that’d probably ruin the personalised touch it has.
‘Brik Oven’ is located at #19, Church Street; for details, call 9148100119.