Many a long, cold winter’s night has been spent debating the relative virtues of Kathmandu’s two most famous pizzerias:
Roadhouse Café and
Fire & Ice.
These restaurants, while serving other Italian or Italianesque fare, have become synonymous with great quality pizzas baked in wood-fired ovens, intimate lighting, Baskin Robbins ice cream, and waiting staff trained to bump up your bill with Himalayas OnTop when you’d happily take jar ko pani. While many restaurateurs have opted to ape this formula with varying degrees of success and Fire & Ice has maintained only one location in town, Roadhouse has branched out with a new brand, Mezze, which promises a more eclectic menu than its café branches.
But pizza still makes up a large proportion of the menu and many of the toppings on offer are in fact eerily familiar. We tried one, the smoked salmon (Rs 650), just to check that standards weren’t slipping. This pricey topping was still pretty generous and perfectly cooked – so far, so good.
The waiters were a little befuddled (the restaurant was only two weeks young at the time of the review), but seemed to cope well with the pressure of an all-new venue. There were some kinks to iron out: one didn’t know exactly what the vegetarian mezze platter (Rs 650) consisted of, while another apologised for the delay while kitchen staff finalised the presentation of a dish no one had ordered before. But this was a busy Friday lunch service and overall, staff coped admirably.
That platter brought together freshly prepared hummus, mini pita breads, a baba ghanoush, cream cheese, and other goodies. The presentation was worth the wait, but for the price I’d have expected something a little flashier: the thimble of marinated olives felt especially like phoning it in.
PICS: PM
A coriander-crusted chicken kabab (Rs 230) looked great, but for all the greenery on display, that fresh, floral flavour of the herb was oddly impossible to locate. The chicken itself was tough, dry, and overcooked. We finished off with a chocolate mousse (Rs 230) from a dessert menu entirely borrowed from – you guessed it – Roadhouse, which was rich, satisfying, and with a hint of liquor, but was neither light nor airy enough to really be called a mousse.
What’s definitely new is the smart, modern interior and chic terrace with a view of the palace. The restaurant’s sprawling and extensively stocked bar (surely one of the most eclectic in the city) and minimalist dining area is a departure from the chintz of Roadhouse’s other outlets and the chic outdoor seating might make you forget you’re in Kathmandu at all. I’m told the lighting is great at night and there are plenty of halogen heaters to go round.
Don’t expect wonders, but do expect a great atmosphere and location, friendly staff, and yes, reliably satisfying pizza.
How to get there: Mezze by Roadhouse is located on the top floor of the new Mercantile shopping mall, on the corner of Darbar Marg opposite the palace museum and the traffic police headquarters.