what construes when an indian chef tantalizes the taste buds of a seasoned traveler british gentleman, so much so that he asks him to partner and together they open a place that serves one of the world’s most loved italian food-pizza.
this is pretty much howpizzadi rocco was born. a friendly, fun restaurant serving freshpizzacreations daily.
named after the son of the english man, rocco; this is a home grown family business with some heirloom recipes featuring on the menu.
chef joseph and mr. peter joined hands to provide the most authentic pizzeria experience available today, in abu dhabi with branches in al ain and dubai.
we visited the al ain branch and were welcomed graciously by staff. brownie points: very kid friendly place. the décor is light yet modern and tasteful (just like their food) with the option of indoor and outdoor seating. service is quite prompt.
the pizzas here are hand-made from scratch daily with healthy, natural ingredients. the base is thin crust made with stone-milled wholewheat flour. the dough has no milk or eggs, and no sugar; making it to suit the different dietary requirements. the olive oil used here comes from a hilltop village in the molise region of italy.
vegans take note. there is a whole menu designed especially for vegans. j
the pomodoro sauce is made in-house from specially imported tomatoes from italy, just like their mozzarella, which is made from 100% milk, no vegetable fat/preservatives/additives added. this pure mozzarella is called “ fior di latte”. the pizzas here are scrumptious yet light, without that usual feeling of fullness. i was told i could eat one largepizzaall by myself…and i actually did!
below are the dishes we tried and liked (or not liked). read on….
the anti-pasti-
calamari fritti : the best i have had till date. non greasy, crisp and the calamari tender inside with a fabulous marie rose dip.
bruschetta : a ciabatta crisped to perfection topped with luscious tomatoes and balsamic. could do with a little more seasoning, for my taste.
the insalata (salads)-
i must admit i am not a salad person. however on deborah’s insistence (the friendly and very knowledgable staff atpizzadi rocco) i did try the ‘organic quinoa’ salad and am i glad i did. with just the right amount of creaminess from the avocadoes and generous sprinkling of nuts and raisins this white quinoa was flavourful with a burst of freshness from the lime vinaigrette.
the ‘insalata di rocco’ , (a specialty of the place) with mixed greens and sweet cherry tomatoes, olives, oven baked goat cheese, mushrooms, pine nuts and a sweet balsamic dressing, had summer written all over it. delicious.
now for the stars, the pizzas-
of the three i tried, my favourite has to be the wholewheat ‘pollo picante’ . pulled oven roasted chicken, jalapenos and just enough mozzarella among other things.
the ‘pollo pesto’ is also a hit with many, i am told. however i am biased towards a pomodoro base.
this is ideal when you want to sneak in some greens/broccoli, in the garb of apizzato your kids. the healthy, not-so-junk junk food. ;)
another classic was the ‘fattoria’ , with caramelized onions, goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts and pesto. a little too sweet for my taste, but quite popular otherwise.
the drinks-
be it the freshly squeezed ‘minted lemonade’, the ‘classic virgin mojito’ or the ‘strawberry mojito’ , all were refreshing and a pretty sight for sore eyes from all the summer heat.
the desserts-
the homemade pannacotta was wonderfully light and not too gelatinous. it is quite easy to ruin this classic. strongly recommend you try this.
the dulce de leche cheesecake was dense yet delicious. another delightful dessert is their family recipe of the lilly’s banoffee pie. (named after peter’s daughter lilly.)
the salted caramel ice cream was a tad bit icy, not as much creamy but the kids will lick the tall tumbler clean, i promise.
so if you are looking for a ‘healthy cheat day’ or just about anyday,pizzadi rocco should be on your speed dial.