It’s like Kormangala is blessed (or cursed) to churn out new restaurants and cafes every week. The latest to be birthed in 5th Block, is Ministry of Pizza. A bright and sunny ambience combined with a live pizza station and light-on-the-pocket prices makes this a perfect addition to the area. If you get tired of waiting for a table at the ‘other pizza joint’ that’s popular with teeny boppers and offers unlimited Pizza – head on over to MOP. You’ll get a more relaxed experience at the same price!
The pretty alfresco area with teal blue chairs is probably my pick to dine here, if you can bear the summer heat. If not, the air conditioned insides done up in vintage 70’s style paraphilia is a cozy space as well. The patio has a live pizza making counter where you can see the staff whip up customized treats. (You can ‘Craft your own Pizza’ with upto five toppings for the same price as their regular pizzas!). They don’t have thin crust pizzas yet or a wood fired oven, but they are working on both to up the ante.
MOP was one of the few places that jumped on the Freakshake bandwagon pretty early. This monster milkshake with ‘everything’ in it is a meal in itself, so be good to yourself and decide to share it with a friend. I tried the Black and White calorie bomb that afternoon and could hardly get through half of it – Kitkat, oreos, chocolate chips, fudge sauce – you get the point, right? They also have one with Peanut brittle and one more called Alice in Wonderland. Go ahead, be brave.
For a place called Ministry of Pizza – their menu is actually quite compact. But a further count reveals that they offer 24 varieties of pizza in 8″ and 10″ sizes. That coupled with Burgers, Pastas, Salads and Desserts is good to keep most people happy. I stuck to ordering just the pizzas (save one salad) on this occasion. The restaurant offers you a lovely baked pizza crust with sea salt and olive oil instead of the regular bread basket or garlic bread. I must admit it was flawless – crisp on the bottom, slightly chewy on top with fantastic fresh flavours.
There’s never been a Beetroot and Goats Cheese Salad that I didn’t like. The MOP version came plated beautifully, but could have definitely played up the stars players a little more.
We moved on to the pizzas and opted for a Grilled Vegetable and Goats cheese version. The are as many vegetarian options on the menu as non-vegetarian ones and I guess the balance will make the vegetarian population very happy! A nicely executed, vibrant pizza landed on the table. I thought they could have gone bolder with the pizza sauce, but no complaints otherwise. The pizza base will always be a bone of contention till they introduce the thin crust version – but that’s a personal preference.
Just for fun, we also tried to craft our own pizza. We used the Charred Corn and Pineapple pizza as the base and added on jalapenos, onions and olives to the mix. The eclectic composition worked and we had ourselves some sweet and spicy bites.
I heard their Roast Pumpkin and Chorizo Pizza is quite popular and so is the Sun Dried Tomato and Bacon version. However having given up eating the little piggy I stuck to the Pesto marinated Chicken Pizza. Nothing fussy, just clean flavours and that’s why this pizza was the best of the lot.
We were too full to try the Waffles or Pancakes so decided on the Kahlua Mousse to share. Silky mousse with the right hit of Kahlua made this a lovely finish to the meal.
The service is attentive, prompt and very accommodating considering they run a noon to night shift. MOP also serves Beer and beer-based cocktails, so if you just want to grab a cold one and have a casual, relaxed evening eating fuss free grub – head on over to Ministry of Pizza.
Ministry of Pizza
8, Jayalakshmi Nivas,
Opp Nagarjuna, 4th Cross,
5th Block Koramangala, Bangalore 560034.
+91 8049652642
Cost : INR 850/++ for a meal for two.
Valet Parking available.
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