Eat lunch at 5 pm and nobody will mind

Chilli Tomato pizzeria, the just-opened vegetarian cafe in Borivali, dishes out passable fare on colourful plates

The good thing about Chilli Tomato Pizzeria is that it's open all day. When we called to check if it was open at 5 pm on a Sunday evening, we were very, very late for lunch and too hungry to settle for snacks.

Just opposite the Jogger's Park in Chikuwadi, Chilli Tomato Pizzeria sits sandwiched between an interior decorator's office and a motor repair shop.

The open-air place was covered with thick plastic sheets, but was still pleasantly airy, with a lone wind chime swinging in one corner. We grabbed a corner table overlooking a park.



Taking advantage of the weather we ordered for Tomato Soup (Rs 39) and Banana Smoothie (79). The soup was a hot spicy broth where the spice overpowered the tang of the tomato.

But it went reasonably well with the pack of three breadsticks provided on each table (Rs 15) and we devoured it with relish. The thick Banana Smoothie that came in a plastic glass was average.

The best part of our meal was actually the yummy cheese dip (Rs 5) that came with the soup, which we polished off with our leftover breadsticks.
u00a0
Cheese dips and breadsticks? In our defence, it's the kind of place where it feels okay to not stick to table manners.

Next up, we ordered Farfalle Pasta (Rs169) with black olives and mushrooms and a regular Veg Bonanza Pizza (Rs 159).
u00a0
The pasta arrived in a bowl of soupy white sauce and was the tastiest part of the meal, despite its rather unappetising looks. Though we wish they'd dried the sauce some more.
u00a0
The Veg Bonanza Pizza came loaded with paneer, mushrooms, cheese, but, alas, we missed meat.

The paneer added an alien yoghurt-like flavour to the pizza, which though not unpleasant, was not entirely welcome.

They have dessert pizzas with chocolate as well, but after an overdose of cheese and carbohydrates, we decided to pass on the option.
u00a0
AT Chilli Tomato Pizzeria, 8 Jupiter apartments, opposite Jogger's Park, Chikuwadi, Borivali (W). Call 9820148877
Chilli Tomato Pizzeria didn't know we were there. The GUIDE reviews anonymously and pays for meals.