Curve, ABC farms, Koregoan park Wood oven Pizzas

Went out on last Saturday evening to Curve, located in ABC farms, Koregoan park
It is a lounge+restaurant+bar type of place for the young and trendy Pune-ites to hangout.

They serve some excellent wood oven fired pizzas. We ordered a 3 pasta salad, pannini and a classic pizza margherita

The salad was not bad, came with pastas with herbs, sundried tomato and lots of olive oil. Always love olive oil!

The service was generally nice. Since we sat on their upper floor deck, we were virtually having a dedicated person looking out for us and he was good and knowledgable. I tested him by asking more about Pizza Margherita and he knew exactly what I was talking about.


We ordered classic Martinis as aperitifs. The bartender also does jugglery with the cocktail glasses

I went for the most authentic and classic Martini.(Gin+Vermouth) and my friend went for the more contempary/trendy Vodka Martini. Oh and it was stirred not shaken (written on the Menu card). James Bond's preference!


Martin...extra dry...probably the most famous cocktail ever invented.

They even had 'Vespa' which is also considered Bond's favourite on the menu card.

The Pizza was obviously the main reason why went there in the first place

The wood oven crust was obvious. The crust was classically Italian. Very thin and it was hand tossed.

The mozarella was well spread and thin and importantly it was with lots of fresh basil leaves which really are the key ingredient of the Naples classic. Exactly how a Pizza Margherita is supposed to be!

All the mass production American pizza chains often forget what makes the authentic
Naples Pizza Margerita so special.

Not to say I don't enjoy American Pizzas! (thick base, cheese added for gluttons!...I do enjoy that also. Hard for me to not enjoy anything!).

But once someone gets hooked onto authentic stuff, then there is no looking back...

Pizza Margherita was invented in Naples, Southern Italy by a Naples chef as an afternoon snack to serve Queen Margherita who was visiting Naples.

The colours of the Pizza correspond to the Italian flag (red tomato base, green basil and white buffalo mozarella). This was the beginning on the Pizza revolution.

When American soldiers returned back from Italy after the end of World war 2, they craved for Pizzas and thats how Pizzas became an American favourite. And with typically American brand marketing, these days most people associate Pizzas with Pizza huts, Dominos etc...

Many of my American friends also told me that Italian Pizzas are bad! They have less cheese! Amazing joke because many of them have never developed more refined tastes...

People with refined tastes know exactly the difference between loads of mass produced cheese spread over a thick Pizza...and a thin layer of fresh Mozzarella cheese over a thin handtossed pizza base!

I am definitely for authentic stuff...and a thinner layer with fresh mozarella tastes... thats my taste

So I would never comment back but just smile because the truth is inside me!.

It's not different from many Indian friends who go out to claim that they get better Indian food in the U.S! It's a joke...but never mind... What's the point of proving to people who know nothing... and say things simply to prove themselves right

But I used to love Chicago style Pizzas in the U.S and there were also many many authentic Italian Pizza chains in the U.S...

Here's a nice article about Pizza

From the Wikipedia link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza

Neapolitan pizza (pizza napoletana): Authentic Neapolitan pizzas are made with local ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes, which grow on the volcanic plains to the south of Mount Vesuvius, and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, made with the milk from water buffalo raised in the marshlands of Campania and Lazio in a semi-wild state (this mozzarella is protected with its own European protected designation of origin).[1] According to the rules proposed by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, the genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of Italian wheat flour (type 0 or 00, or a mixture of both), natural Neapolitan yeast or brewer's yeast, salt and water. For proper results, strong flour with high protein content (as used for bread-making rather than cakes) must be used. The dough must be kneaded by hand or with a low-speed mixer. After the rising process, the dough must be formed by hand without the help of a rolling pin or other mechanical device, and may be no more than 3 mm (¹⁄₈ in) thick. The pizza must be baked for 60–90 seconds in a 485 °C (905 °F) stone oven with an oak-wood fire.[2] When cooked, it should be crispy, tender and fragrant. Neapolitan pizza has been given the status of a "guaranteed traditional specialty" in Italy.

This allows only three official variants: pizza marinara, which is made with tomato, garlic, oregano and extra virgin olive oil (although most Neapolitan pizzerias also add basil to the marinara), pizza Margherita, made with tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil and extra-virgin olive oil, and pizza Margherita extra made with tomato, mozzarella from Campania in fillets, basil and extra virgin olive oil.


I remember my trip to Italy and especially the moment of going into one fine Pizza restaurant on one of the cold evenings and tasting heaven...The taste lingers in the mouth forever...

Anyway I like Curve and would go there again. I would go there for the atmosphere and for pizzas and some nice drinks. The restaurant is not cheap but none of the restaurants in ABC farms are cheap.

Without drinks, you are likely to spend Rs 250 to Rs 300. With drinks, its likely
to be in excess of Rs 500 per person.

But for a nice evening for especially young couples, it's a near perfect place
And what more, I was being given a treat that day.