About three months back, after a bit of pestering, I managed to convince my friends to brave the summer heat and head to Mama Mia Italia. Mama Mia had already established a reputation for serving the best pizza in the twin cities, and we wanted a bite of the best. The pizzeria is almost a world away from us, and we had to ply 2 hours to reach Sainikpuri from Miyapur and Mehdipatnam. But, the temptation of great food egged us on.
The pizzeria is a small unassuming place. There are just a few chairs and tables setup in a narrow and almost cramped place. But, we weren’t there for the ambiance, we were there for the food. We ordered 2 cheese garlic breads, 1 mama mia veg special pizza (10”), 1 mama mia non-veg special pizza (10”), 1 al arabiata non-veg pasta, and 1 al fredo non-veg pasta. When we entered, none of the other tables were occupied. So, we got our orders pretty quickly. And we were blown away by the taste right away. Even after all these months, the taste of the garlic bread lingers on, and I still haven’t had better tasting cheese garlic bread anywhere else. The bread was crispy yet soft, with the proportion of garlic just right. The pizzas were uncomplicated, but once again far better than anything else we had tasted in Hyderabad. The pizzas were so brilliant that we gobbled them up within minutes, and none of us even bothered to add any ketchup. The pastas were also quite good. Simple, and delicious. The Arrabiata was slightly tangier than I would have liked, but the Al Fredo was a revelation with just the right amount of creaminess. And all of this amounted to just a bill of about 970 bucks. Even Dominos and Pizza Hut are more expensive!
The owner of this place is quite conversant and friendly. He offered us a tour of the kitchen and showed us the specially prepared oven that he designed based on the knowledge he picked up from his travels around Italy and especially Naples. Mama Mia makes everything from the mother dough to the sauces in house. It does have plans for expanding into Cyberabad, where it should have many more takers. However, we will probably have to wait for some time. There are also plans to add more items to the menu including chilly chicken and piri piri pizzas to cater to the local preferences.
We travelled long and far for a few slices of pizza, but it was absolutely worth it. Impeccable food, service, and hygiene.
