Fusion at Francesco’s Pizzeria, Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel, Mumbai

There has never been a better or worse time to open a pizzeria in Mumbai. While pizzas have been growing in popularity, at least four new pizzerias have opened in the city within the last month leaving Mumbaikars spoilt for choice.

Joining the fray is newly launched Francesco’s Pizzeria in Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel.

From a location perspective, I believe Francesco’s has got it right. There have been hardly any new restaurants that have opened in Phoenix Mills for a while now and regulars like myself have been starved for choice.

While you could say that there are ample options offering pizza – Serafina, Spaghetti Kitchen, CPK, Dominos, Smokehouse Deli, Indigo and Moshe’s to be precise – I am of the opinion that there is no such thing as too much pizza and welcomed an invitation to try the new place with open arms.

What followed was a night of great pizzas and conversation – including a spectacular debate about the awful invention Birizza by Pizza Hut.

Francesco’s has got the ambience just right. Designed with the traditional black, white and red colours of Italy, the restaurant is cozy yet has the appearance of being spacious. It is a refreshing change to not have another diner’s table right next to your elbow and I really liked the lower armchair options which looked super comfortable.

We started the night with salads and first tried a Beetroot and Arugula Ambrosia. The Arugula salad is generally served with Pears but we had ours with Beetroots that night. Served with walnuts, crispy Rocket leaves and a balsamic reduction, the salad is light and full of flavour.

I am not a big fan of leaves given that I am a staunch Parsi so I preferred the Smoked Salmon Salad we tried next which came with four generous slices of Norwegian Smoked Salmon, sour cream and a token portion of sprouts on the side. The salmon simply melted in my mouth and I really enjoyed it though I did feel that some capers would make a wonderful addition to the dish.

After the salad came the Pastas, which in my opinion still need some tweaking. First up were the Fettuccine and Porcini Mushrooms served in a creamy sauce. While I enjoyed the sauce that came with the pasta, the Fettuccine was a tad overcooked and had hardly any mushroom.

Instead, I quite liked the next pasta we tried – the Beetroot Ravioli stuffed with Ricotta in Brown Butter and Parmesan. The Ravioli was cooked just right and the flavour of the Ricotta really complemented the nutty brown butter it was served with. There are only five portions of the Ravioli in each serving which is barely enough but this is more an ongoing pet peeve of mine at all ravioli serving restaurants

Last up we tried the Avocado Genovese Penne, which was good and came with a flavourful pesto based sauce. It would be great however to have some more of the avocado flavour perhaps with some avocado chunks in the sauce.

It was finally time to try the long-awaited pizzas and here I must commend Francesco’s on the bases. I loved the thin crust all the pizzas were served on and liked it that they were not paper thin like papads but had a nice bite to it. Also, we were told that their pizzas are cheaper than the ones at Dominos, which was indeed a pleasant surprise.

We started with the Peri Peri Paneer, which we were told is a hot veg favourite but was just okay. This could be because I am not a big fan of vegetarian pizzas but also because it was more Achari Paneer than Peri Peri and overall was a little dry.

The Notorious Nachos Pollo made up for the disappointment and is a great fusion dish. Unlike the Birizza, nachos and pizza go well together and this one was a unanimous favourite. My only recommendation would be to serve some sour cream and guacamole atop the pizza to give it that truly Mexican flavour.

The Five Cheese Pizza with Salmon is good but can be improved on. I felt that not only was the taste of the five cheeses missing but the pizza also seemed to be been overcooked with cheese drying out. I must say though that the salmon that topped the pizza was delicious.

Finally came the star of the night, the Pollo Brutus – essentially a Chicken Caesar salad atop Margherita. I was unsure if I would like the excessive salad leaves but was swiftly proven wrong. The saucy base offset the salad perfectly and we all enjoyed the generous helping of the grilled chicken. I wish we had ordered this at the start so I could have gobbled down more slices!

We did end the meal with a couple of desserts but I was so full that I could barely muster a bite so I am not in the best position to judge that final course.

Overall, I think the food at Francesco’s was great and I especially enjoyed the adventurous fusion menu. Once the teething issues are taken care of, I am sure Francesco’s will give the other pizza outlets some stiff competition.

Ratings (Out of 5)

Food: 3.5 | Ambience: 3.0 | Service: 3.5 | Overall: 3.0

Meal for two: Rs.1000| Alcohol: No | Credit Card: Yes | Timings: Phoenix Mills Mall Timings

Address: Shop 9-11, Next to L’vista Furnitures, Skyzone, High Street Phoenix, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai

Tel: +91 902291237

– Post by Perzen Patel