Month: May 2015

Anna Perenna Pizza

Healthy ‘eating out’ may sound oxymoronish, but as they say there is no harm trying. Hence, I wander. Skeeter ended up at Anna Perenna Pizza, a gourmet, handmade pizza place, trying to do things differently. Anna Perenna is the Roman Goddess of long life & renewal, health & plenty. This delivery/takeaway service does top notch pizzas, making dough from the scratch and yes they are wholewheat (some, even multigrain) with no processed cheese whatsoever! While the last line may be hard to digest, the pizzas are rather easy on the stomach.

The Mint cooler lemonade served in a glass jar with the right amount of sweet and tang will quench your thirst and make you forget the sweltering heat outside for a while. The olive-studded bread and hummous were a great starter. The hummous was creamy and full of flavour and the olive-studded bread was wholewheat. What else could one ask for? I know it’s gonna be on my dinner table again and again, and more!

From the pizza selection, Skeeter tried the ‘Roast zucchini, tomato and basil pizza’, that has a light and crisp base. The base sauce is made in-house and was finger-licking good. The pizza was overall perfect and I did not realise the absence of cheese. I would’ve loved a crispier base and if the zucchini was char-grilled it would make for a better sight on the plate, but then that’s just being greedy and asking for more. This pizza makes for a perfect treat for weight watchers, as is.

The ‘Jalapeno, pineapple and rocket pizza was rather inspirational and it’d be my go-to pizza in the days to come. If there is poetry on a plate, this is it, this is it, this is it! A crisp base, smeared with tomato sauce, topped with generous helpings of pineapple slices and rocket leaves. You get your pizza fix, you eat your dose of the favourite fruit and you munch some salad, all at a go. Oh did I mention, they have a low cheese and no-cheese option as well. Just ask them and they oblige. They claim to procure as many organic ingredients as possible. Plus ten for that. Vegan pizzas, anyone? Almost everything on the menu can be made vegan if it already isn’t. They even cater to the needs of those suffering from celiac or gluten allergies.
The Pizza cannot get hotter than this!

Meal for two: Rs 750
For more information, check the Anna Perenna Pizza website  

Mr Choy, Khan market

Replacing The Kitchen in Khan Market is Mr Choy, run by the very people behind the popular eatery Townhall in the same vicinity. If their experience in the industry is anything to go by, Mr Choy already promises tall, delivers those promises, and how! I’ve visited Mr Choy twice in a  week at different times of the day and have come back impressed. The only bummer being that the tables are placed too close for comfort. They can surely do by removing a table or two for some breathing space and still have people queuing up for the grub.


The dimsums

For your meal, begin with an assorted dimsum platter which they call the snackbox. Plated in a no-fuss, old-fashion steel tiffin box on top of a banana leaf, the simple presentation ensures the focus is on the food. There are six dimsums in a portion, so you try all and order the next portion on the basis of what you like. Our Veg assortd snackbox contained a piece each of: Vegetable dimsum in kinchin sauce, Green beans and celery, Four seasons, Assorted mushroom, Tofu Bok choy and the Bok Choy roll. Skeeter’s favourites were the vegetable dimsum in kinchin sauce and the Assorted mushroom. The Vegetable Sticky Rice and Cheung Fun were ordered separately. While the Sticky Rice was decent, though not great, the Cheung Fun failed miserably as it came dunked in soy from the kitchen and fell apart on the very touch of the chopstick. Pouring soy at the table could salavge the Cheung Fun for them.

The drinks
If you, like me, are fed up of the calorie-laden, insipid beverages on offer in most Delhi restaurants, the Minty Chang and Bitter Lemonade will have you asking for seconds. Minty Chang comes with muddled mandarin chunks, kaffir lime leaves, lemon, a hint of sugar, topped with soda. The Bitter Lemonade is constructed with Kaffir lime leaves, tonic, angosutra bitter and lime juice and stands true to its name. Both the drinks go well with most of the menu, especially the dimsums.
Small plates
When you’ve had your share of dimsums, move on to the small plates. The Sauteed Enoki, Shimeji, Shiitake, Eryngii With Garlic And Fried Glass Noodles is a haven for fungi lovers like yours truly. The subtle flavours infused in this dish coupled with just the right amount of garlic, bring out the flavours of the assorted mushroom so well that I was almost heartbroken after I polished it off. The portion is good enough for it to be labelled a small plate and with that variety of fungi, it is good value for money. 

Asian noodles (Meal in a bowl)
These are rather meals in a jar. I tried two of them. The Mr. Choy Special has Filipino and Chinese style rice and flour noodles with black bean sauce. While these were nice, the Raman Style noodles make for a better order. They are actually Ramen, either misprinted on the menu or they are called Raman elsewhere in the world. A quick google search failed to help. Vegetarian Ramen noodles are fun, fun, fun! The Japanese style soupy noodles with a soy and miso  base with oodles of vegetables make for a complete meal, stuff that I call comfort food. The portion is not super large as usually the Ramen elsewhere goes. Go grab some!

Mr. Choy Special noodles

Ramen noodles

For the full menu and prices, click here. An average meal is approx Rs 1500 for two people.