In the Beginning

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

And so it would. Hello world, I’ve finally done it. After years of holding back I’ve finally decided to start a little blog about what I love most…good food and travelling to find it.

I’m not really much of a cook myself but maybe this will encourage me to spend a little more time in the kitchen. Till then I think I’ll satisfy those taste buds with some out of home dining options.

I live in Bombay, a city that caters to a population of about 20 million. Filled with an array of restaurants, cafes and dhabas, one definitely has to scout around to find a place that serves a consistently good meal. 

Let’s start off with a visit to a fairly new kid on the block, Di Napoli. Tucked away in the south side of Mumbai, this little Italian joint serves up a great Naples style pizza.

Started by an ex-investment banker who left behind the high life and travelled to the heart of Italy, only to return as a ‘pizza solo’, a connoisseur of pizzas (yes there really is such a thing) and open his very own little restaurant to share his art with us Bombayites.

I visited the restaurant with a little group of family and friends and after we settled in with a drink and menu’s we proceeded to start our meal with a couple of serves of Bruschetta. A simple yet delicious dish if made with fresh ingredients. Chopped tomatoes tossed in olive oil, garlic and basil served on toasted sour dough bread. Yum! The Di Napoli version was good except that the bread was not what I had imagined it to be, but then for some reason in India you rarely find bread to boast about.

The arugula salad with caramelised pears, almonds and gorgonzola cheese in balsamic, or known on the menu as Insalata di rucola, was a treat on the tongue. The sweetness of the caramelized pears coupled with the spicy arugula and tangy balsamic was just delightful and a salad always makes you feel good, especially when you actually enjoy eating it :)

And then came the Regina Margherita Pizza. Oh what joy! I tucked right in only to remember 3 slices later that I should probably get a picture to go with this blog. A quick click and back to Naples. Soft, stringy balls of melted buffalo mozzarella with rich, red tomato sauce and a sprig of bright green basil…Perfetto!

A full tummy is a happy tummy and we all ended the afternoon ready to head home for a little lie down to digest our luncheon delights.

All in all a great meal and a restaurant that I will definitely be visiting again if only for the Pizza.

Address: 

Di Napoli,

G-2 Dalamal Towers,

Free Press Journal Marg,

Nariman Point,

Mumbai - 400021

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Di Napoli Pizzeria