The Italian Job

Sorry I was away for a good two weeks, I was rather busy with my managerial duties in Football Manager 2012 with Napoli which got me thinking, how is it that I have gone a whopping 50 odd blog posts without talking about arguably one of the most loved cuisines in the world - Italian; more importantly PIZZA. Bombay is a pretty much a flawless city but if there's one thing that we lack, its probably a good pizza place. The American's have this concept nailed down you see, every street literally has a decent pizza place, where you can come, chill, order a few slices, drink some beer, and pack some lasagna home. Well I for one thought that day was far off in India, but as it turns out, PizzaRoma is just the place I was waiting for. The best part about PizzaRoma is that it's in POWAI. Yes my sweet and beloved Powai now has a genuine Italian Pizza place, finally a place that recognizes the need of the thin crust pizza. As good as Domino's and Pizza Hut are, everyone is sick and tired of the same old BBQ Chicken and Mexican Red Wave, I for one needed some change and PizzaRoma is just what the doctor ordered. I'm gonna make an old fashioned pro's and con's list like Ted Mosby here (yes I still persist with HIMYM and I still don't know why??).

Pros:

• They serve slices of pizzas and they have only two sizes Regular (10'') and Large (13"). This pretty much covers every demograph and so there is never really a case of ordering too much or too little. 
• Like I said, delightful thin crust pizzas, so that we can all indulge in our pizza cravings without having to worry about our waist lines.
• Great selection of toppings - some of them include Bacon, Sausage, Ham, Artichokes and even Pepperoni Salami. 
• When they say Authentic Italian food, they actually mean it. The spellings of Napoli, Verona, Diavola etc are all correct and we don't have any comical typos like we do at the chinese places with their Tripplle Sezvaan Fride Rice.
• They accept Sodexo coupons, and anyone who is friends with Raghukul Mathur would know how much of a boon that is. 

Cons: 

• Possibly their greatest con is the fact that this place is incredibly expensive. Even their cheapest Regular pizza will set you back by 500 rupees and although the quality and quantity are there, its still not feasible to spend close to a grand every time you eat a meal from PizzaRoma. 
• For a fancy pizza place, they have got absolutely no combos or offers to entice the customer. Their menu is a simple sheet of paper, with ridiculously overpriced items. No One-pe-One free deals, no discounts for bulk orders, no pizza and pasta combos. They will definitely have to change this if they want to seriously compete with the likes of Dominos and Pizza Hut. 

Final Verdict: 

Overall I'd say PizzaRoma is definitely worth the extra cash you spend, sure for about 600 bucks you get a nice meal for 2 in most pizza outlets, but I think their variety in toppings and the cheer craftsmanship of their pizza's deserve some recognition, I'd definitely choose PizzaRoma over any other pizza place in Powai for the simple principle of "Quality over Quantity". Of course you can't eat here every other weekend, because it will be detrimental to your pocket. You must try the "VERONA" or the "Pizzaroma Special". They are easily one of their best pizzas.  

Since I already brought up one of the most ridiculous TV shows on air currently (HIMYM), its only fair I talk about one of the better shows around - House. Everybody knows that season 8 is going to be the last season of Dr. House's awesomeness and I for one think its good that the show is ending on a high, save some grace rather than drag itself pointlessly on for years until it gets cancelled by the network. We'll all miss Dr. House and his sheer charisma more than anything else, but Hugh Laurie can hold his head high. Not only was he the highest paid TV actor - a whopping $ 700,000 per episode, but he's easily one of the most talented british actors to have ever graced the magical world of TV. For about 3-4 seasons, I was under the assumption that Hugh Laurie was actually American, that's how perfect his american accent was in House, but then I was told he was indeed a Englishman. His life trajectory is quite fascinating and I think if anyone of you have seen the episode of "Inside An Actor's Studio: Hugh Laurie" you'd know what I am talking about. A largely talented man this guy, who despite his age is only getting better. Blackadder was his starting point and from then on Hugh Laurie hasn't looked back. The adorable King George in Blackadder season 3 was one of Hugh Laurie's wittiest and funniest roles. Hugh Laurie was also one half of probably one of the most famous sketch-comedy pairings, and along with Stephen Fry he gave us "A Bit Of Fry and Laurie". Till this date Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are the best of friends, and if you guys are interested in some light sketch comedy, something along the lines of Blackadder then you should definitely check out this show. 

House was Laurie's grandest and most monumental success'. The character of Gregory House was so challenging that Hugh Laurie has been rumored to have suffered from chronic depression on more than one count. Despite a glittering career in TV and Movies like Stuart Little, 101 Dalmatians, Flight of the Pheonix etc, Hugh Laurie still suffers from constant bouts of depression due to his troubled childhood. He had a strained relationship with his mother and having had to suffer the loss of his father (whom he considered the sweetest man on earth) at a very young age due to illness, till today Hugh Laurie remains an enigma with only his closest friends and family; Stephen Fry, Robert Sean Leonard and Emma Thompson really knowing the REAL Hugh Laurie. As you House fanatics would know, Hugh Laurie is not only a gifted actor, but he also plays the piano, was part of a band and quite recently also began his foray into the Music industry with his first studio album. Yes all this build up and praise about Hugh Laurie was for this album only. Released in 2011 - Let Them Talk is a classic Jazz and Blues album, I say classic because even after just one hearing you will fall in love with this man's voice. The british accent is ever so evident in this album, and the genre is an absolute peach. A perfect artist to continue my Blues appreciation this March, Hugh Laurie's album set the music charts on fire hitting the top ten across Europe after months of its release. 

The entire album is pure melody and some of the songs are really expressive and show some insight about Hugh Laurie's life. There's obviously a lot of reference to Britain and the Hugh Laurie's brief stint in the army and World War and all, but what the hell, this is one beautiful bloody album. A definite download this, I for one cannot wait for more music from Hugh Laurie now that he's hanging up his boots as Dr Gregory House. A true british pioneer in the Media, Arts and Theatre field, and surely a knighthood isn't far away for the great Hugh Laurie. Some of the songs you simply cannot miss are "The Battle of Jericho", "They're Red Hot", "Swanee River", "Let Them Talk", "Baby Please Don't Change". 

Wow, that was a rather long post, one more blues artist for this month and then I shall switch back to classic rock. Till then let the melodious sounds of Hugh Laurie's piano enthrall us all. Peace out.  

Follow @SwamiG13