The lively, chaotic buzz at a restaurant during service is the stark opposite from pre-service, which witnesses a different kind of frenzy. We get a glimpse of the prep as we walk into the newly-opened Pizzeria Americano, dished out by chef Alex Sanchez and partner Mallyeka Watsa, at Fort. “Last night, we made 150 pizzas,” the chef reveals.

“We’re reliving pre-opening energy from Americano and Otra,” he says with a wired laugh. He points out he needs a service station to stock cutlery and plates. “When you design an apartment, you can slowly change things over time. Here, it’s kind of a matter of life-and-death,” he adds. The space has the upbeat vibe of a bar, and the seriousness of pizza supremacy. The open kitchen and bar seating on the ground level offers a dekko of all the action. The level above via a winding metallic stairway is executed in earthy tones.