KOCHI: Walking into 360 pizzeria in Panampilly Nagar, you instantly notice the fragrance of freshly baked dough. Looking around, you can see the rustic interiors complementing a smouldering afternoon sun and a lit-up message on the wall that reads “Be Amazing”. This message best describes their on-going Italian pizza fest too. As I walk in, chef John P Thampi runs me through the menu, and I settle down by the window with a passion fruit lemonade.
“I come up with each flavour after a lot of experimentation. We take feedback from our customers, the team here, but the final tasting and suggestions come from Isaac Alexander, the director of Avenue Regent,” says the chef as he brings the first pizza to my table. ‘Halloween’ gave me a jumpscare with all the pineapple on it.
But the very first bite pleased my palate with a sweet and salty flavour of bacon, and pumpkin sauce. The second preparation, called San Marino is my personal favourite. Made with crispy bacon, grilled prawns, and scallions and topped with mozzarella cheese, this pizza is a perfectly balanced flavour burst. “We first tried this with normal bacon, and later the crispy one. It made a huge difference,” adds the chef.
With an experience of nearly 20 years in continental cuisine and having worked in Dubai for most of his career, chef John is particular about making this pizza fest versatile. The butcher’s calzone is one such experiment with a heavy meat-based filling.
German chicken sausage, barbecue chicken and chicken ham, cooked with Spanish red chillies and coriander leaves, topped with cheese, tomato and barbecue sauce, is an unimaginable treat for any meat lover. This is then wrapped in a crispy crust and topped with sauce, a preparation that is hard to find in the city. The lineup has three vegetarian pizza options, of which ‘primavera’ is a must-try. “The sun-dried tomatoes are made in-house. I am particular about details like these, as it adds that extra zest to your pizza,” he says.
Handmade and baked in an imported oven, the crust of chef John’s pizzas are as thin as your patience while you sit and wait for him to bring out the next pan. The star of this special menu is a stewed apple and Nutella calzone that is perfect to satisfy your sweet tooth. This preperation with dark and white chocolate chips, short crumble and praline is a perfect way to wind up your pizza adventure here.
Till November 30.From 12pm to 11pm.`290 onwards.