Pizzas with smiles

 
KATHMANDU: Even if there is a thunderstorm and clouds inside Pizza Hut on Durbar Marg everything is as bright as a sunny day and the staff add to it by being cheerful and smiling. Rajan and I went to Pizza Hut when Nikhil Moorthy was enthusing a new intake of recruits for both the Durbar Marg outlet and new ones soon to come to The Bluebird Mall branch.

I wished I was young again. But I am to eat several pizzas and what young Nikhil has got on his delightful menu. There are thin crust Tuscan pizzas which were the original pizzas made in 997 AD before which the Romans had a thicker bread called

focaccia which evolved into pizzas.

The names of the thin crust pizzas are Gardiner, Verde, Florence Chicken, Pollo Heaven, Ultimate Temptation and Pesto Pepperoni. Each has the Tuscan secret of flavourful ingredients and gourmet toppings. So you combine mozzarella and Gouda cheese with cherry, tomato in one and of course the classic, the most famous Margherita has mozzarella cheese, tomato slices and fresh basil leaves and was invented by a baker called Raffaele Esposito for the visit of Queen Margherita to Naples in 1889 AD representing the colours of the Italian flag, namely green (basil), white (mozzarella cheese), and red (tomato sauce). Till today the Margherita remains, of all Italian pizzas, the best known, the best loved and super tasty.

After that the new pizzas go wild. Think pesto cream sauce, mozzarella cheese, shitake mushrooms all in Gardiner in Ultimate Adventure short of Bungee jump, you have Jalapenos, mozzarella, mayonnaise, tomato and to the top of the list, at the bottom is the pesto pepperoni which has pork pepperoni, balsamic flavoured onions, special pesto cream sauce.

Said Nikhil, “We have got a new menu which is health oriented. For example we have baked potato wedges and baked onion rings”.

But what excites me are the thick all American Pan Pizzas brought to America by Ike Sewell in 1943 AD and he opened Pizzeria Uno in Chicago.

I counted ten all American Pan Pizzas which went from Kadai Paneer to Exotica which had red and green capsicum, baby corn, olive, spicy Jalapenos and cheese. Non-veg all Americans have Zesty Chicken, Fiery Char-Grilled Chicken, Corn and Chicken, Chicken Tandoori, Chicken Tikka Makhani, Chicken Supreme and

Pepperoni.

Nikhil ordered for us and while waiting I thought that it was the restaurant, the service, Nikhil’s knowing almost everyone in town that made it so popular.

A smile attached to a girl called Saraswathi brought on the Onion Rings which were delicious as advertised. They were crunchy outside and were soft inside. “I found it classic”, said Rajan.

The Tuscani thin crust pizza had a lot of crunch and a mingling of flavours. What I liked about it is that no flavours stood out, you sank into different tastes from the strength of the onions to the softness of the shitake. I made a boo boo by thinking there was mayo in it like I said different tastes.

The all American Pan Pizza was so delicious that I had a second helping and my taste buds danced with delight. There was baby corn, Jalapeno, the promised touch of mozzarella and just the tiniest bit of heaven. Pan Pizzas that were popular here first and I loved them in all flavours. I still do.