Greedyman Pizzeria gave me my first Bollywood/Hollywood moment. It was a rainy sunday morning, we were supposed to go to meet some friends but were very hungry on account of having been too lazy to fix a proper breakfast. Driving towards Kalyaninagar, we were looking for a small quick food place and greedyman pizzas came to my mind. My husband and son are ardent pizza fans and are willing to eat it – always. I, don’t like the pizzas that we get here, never crave for a pizza and will never eat even a single bite of the ‘maida mattresses’ that dominos, pizza huts and the likes, serve. So when I said, let’s have pizza, before I could change my mind, the real pizza-greedy man (my husband) parked the car and reached the pizzeria before I could say ‘or let’s go to…’.
I had been to greedyman before with chocolate loving cousins, who had the freak shake. I knew it was a small place with quirky decor who knew how to really present a picture-worthy chocolate shake. I had tasted it, and had not liked it in particular. So, going by that I was expecting an okayish pizza. From the convenient menu, we ordered three small pies (6 inch) – quattro formaggi, A planet (chicken) and pepperoni. Each small pizza was priced around 250-300. While we were waiting for the pizza, I spotted my bread baking bookshelf at this pizza place, and I was riveted (Peter Reinhart!!) and suddenly very hopeful of getting a good pizza crust. I had been told that ALL their pizzas were thin crust – more power to such souls!
For the first time in so many years in Pune, I saw a pepperoni pizza with the pepperoni curled up with tiny pools of fat at the centre. That is how a pepperoni pizza should be. The last I had one- this perfect, was at the swiss cheese garden restaurant in ABC farms, way back in 2008!
The quattro formaggi had mozarella, cheddar and some other cheese. But it also had, some fresh, home style ricotta. The fact that there had been no attempt to make the tomato sauce on the pizza, sweeter or ketchupy, made it more endearing to me.
Last was the A planet. This was recommended by the owner. This is what gave me the hollywood moment. First look, first bite – I had ‘sweet dreams are made of this, who am I to disagree’ playing in my head. I swear, this happened for real. This pizza was loaded with all the good things in the food world. Roast chicken, roasted whole clove of garlic, sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, mushrooms and as if all of this was not enough, the pizza crust had the most beautiful airy crumb. I wish I had the presence of mind to take a picture of the pizza crumb/crust, but I did not. I was lost in my own pizza world. A world which never existed for me before, haunts me now.. beckoning me to go have that pizza again and again and again.
Greedyman pizzeria, I have never craved pizza in my short life of three decades. I do now, and you are to blame!
P.S. The pizza crust was uniform for all the pizzas, I noticed it better with the A planet as that was the only pizza that I got to eat, when I very vehemently staked my sole claims to it.
P.P.S.1. For those like me who are interested in knowing why pepperoni curls up, and why it should in the first place – take a look here.http://slice.seriouseats.com/…/the-pizza-lab-why-does-peppe…
P.P.S.2 Greedyman delivers pizza. You lucky lucky people in kalyaninagar!
Amita Gadre Kelkar's Food Reviews 