I love pizzas! #PizzaIsBae is the hashtag I most associate with (after #NeedAVacation, but that’s a subject for another post). Needless to say, I was quite excited to be visiting 1441 Pizzeria, and had no trouble finding a friend who shared my enthusiasm for trying authentic Italian wood-fired pizzas (just for the record, it took less than 1.5 seconds for Shreeya to agree to come).
We made our way to their Fort outlet, a cozy place conveniently located on the Old Custom House road. Bricked interiors, chalkboard menus, bottomless soda, and Jazz music greeted us as we entered. We propped ourselves up at a table with high stools and contemplated their deceptively small make-your-own-pizza menu, quickly realizing that it’s been placed under an extension charm – they have over 50 toppings, 4 types of cheese, and 8 sauces to choose from! Along with an interesting selection of starters, drinks, and desserts.
STARTERS
On the server’s recommendation, we picked the Persilleda Chicken Leg from their non-veg starters. Four big and juicy pieces of chicken seasoned with some herbs, garlic, and lemon were served with a parsley dip on the side. Perfectly cooked, the chicken was succulent and the fresh dip was lip-smackingly good.
For the veg starter, we took a cue from what most tables were ordering and asked for their Smoky Cheese Dough Balls. Made with freshly kneaded dough, these bite-sized balls are seasoned with chili-flakes, oregano, and olive oil, and served with barbecue sauce and jalapeno dip. The sauces accompanying both starters were so good that we were shamelessly licking our forks! Overall, a very comforting snack to have with those refillable bottomless cokes.
MAINS
For the pizza, the restaurant offers a live counter with a staggering choice of sauces, cheese, and toppings on display. Chefs work in an assembly line fashion to prepare these gourmet pizzas, and you can watch as they knead the dough, prepare the base, and plonk the pizza in the kiln. The menu allows for differential pricing based on choice of single/unlimited toppings and classic/gourmet ingredients. If you are feeling indecisive, you can also simply pick one from their specials such as Hummus Pizza, Pesto Pizza etc, though we highly recommend the make-your-own-pizza process.
Our pizza base was prepared from fresh dough in under a minute, and we moved onto sauce selection. On the chef’s recommendation, we opted for the tangy and sweet-tasting Mama’s Sauce. You can also mix one or more of the 8 sauces or choose some as dressing after the pizza is made. Next was the cheese selection, we obviously had him lather the base with all 4 types they had (Mozzarella, Buffalo, Cheese of the Day, and Smoked Mozz).
The vegetarian toppings included caramelized onions, peri-peri paneer, pineapple, roast pumpkin, iceberg lettuce apart from the obvious ones. The non-vegetarian options too were pretty exhaustive, with BBQ mutton, spicy fish, pesto chicken, and egg being some of the interesting ones. We decided to go for basic veggies and loaded our pizza with BBQ mutton, roast chicken, and pepperoni. The result was a thin-crust, smoked, evenly cooked pizza and we patted our backs for ‘creating’ this culinary delight.
DESSERT
We ordered the Nutella Pizza which is pizza-shaped dough with a generous Nutella spread, topped with fresh kiwi, bananas, and marshmallows, and sprinkled with sweet flour. A beautiful-looking, light dessert to end a hearty Italian meal with.
Overall, 1441 Pizzeria is a highly recommend eatery for all you rebellious pizza lovers, who want to take control of what goes on that base!
