(Ad)vantage Point

In the swelling tide of transient eateries that bob alongside Carter Road, Molto Bello offers the best (point of) view - a panoramic snapshot of the Arabian Sea best experienced during a picture-perfect sunset. And the view isn’t even the best thing on offer at this week-old Bandra pizzeria. The pizza, loaded with fresh tomato sauce and not a lot of cheese – just the way we like it – is the star of the show here. A bello chow, this is.

Upper Deck

The orange 60 seater al fresco setting at Molto Bello (we can’t wait for the strange shaadi/circus top to come off after the monsoon) is made cheerier with lush plants (think delItalia), a happy work force and fun music (everything from Alanis Morissette to Avril Lavigne). Post 7 pm, the oak-lined basement opens up, where the bar is expected to be buzzing once the place gets its liquor licence (apparently in a week).  We had our meal on the top deck with our shoes off, sipping on small, expensive gemstone coloured drinks; get the amethyst pink Home Made Rouse (a concoction of ginger, lime, litchi, cranberry and lemonade) if you don’t mind spending Rs 200 on six supreme sips. If not, opt for the big tumbler of cheaper lemon iced tea.

Hungry Tide

To say that ordering at Molto Bello can be overwhelming is an understatement. There are three different menus, all printed front and back – one for drinks, another for bruschetta and pizza, and a third for appetisers, salads, mains and dessert. Even pasta and pizza are further broken down into ‘regular’ and ‘speciality’ categories.  Are you ready to order, miss? Wait, what’s Italian for “confusion”?

We knew from the start that this overabundance of options, each with a compelling culinary description, would lead to over-ordering. Reader, eat a lesson or two from us: simplify the appetiser section by ordering the vegetarian tasting platter, which features most starters on the menu - delicious fluffy ricotta pillows, bread crumb and pumpkin seed mozzarella sticks, and average potato wedges and marinated mushrooms. We wish the accompanying dips had more personality. And if you would like to send a nod to your surroundings, try a bit of the sea food as well: after a long clams vs. prawn debate, we settled on the latter, deep fried and served with tartar sauce, it would probably make for a better bar snack. 

Is it Sophia Coppola?

The soup selection with seafood chowders and cheese broths reads well but after what we’d just scarfed down, we needed something light, which came in the form of a breezy Greek salad with feta cheese and olives tossed in white wine vinegar, garlic and oregano. For mains we got and loved the Sophia Connection pizza with red sauce and artichoke hearts, plus a woody, dry and lacklustre char-grilled chicken breast stuffed with mushroom and parmesan that our over-laden tummies could have done without. 

Holding the Port

And no, that wasn’t the last of it. Assistant manager Yamnath – a familiar smile who previously worked tables at Olive Bar and Kitchen and Indigo - insisted we make room for the apple pie. In fact, he threw it in for free. Considering the average dish here costs Rs 250, gratis comfort food was much appreciated. Turns out, the warm fruit-centered pie was just what we needed. Even the sea sighed after our last bite.

Getting there: Molto Bello, next to Cafe Coffee Day, Carter Road, Bandra (W), call 26489232, open from noon to midnight, approximately Rs 1,700 for a meal for two.

At Brown Paper Bag, we review restaurants anonymously and pay for our own meals.