Knead to please at Si Nonna’s newest outlet in Bengaluru

Almost everything I imagined about Italian eateries comes to mind as I step into Si Nonna’s — bright, cosy and sunshiny, with familiar tunes serenading us in the background. Only candles in wine bottles atop red-and-white checkered tablecloths were missing.

Traditionally, pizzas were simple affairs, prepared with the most basic of ingredients. The overloaded, fusion offerings that are so plentiful the world over, would have true-blue Italians cringing over the aberration of their favourite staple. At Si Nonna’s, where the pizzas remain true to their original avatar, you realise “less is more” when it comes to taste and quality.

So, what makes Si Nonna’s stand out in a city where pizza has become commonplace? First, their offerings are crafted from sourdough that has fermented over a 48-hour period. Every outlet follows the process of adding to the mother dough (or starter dough) using a 500-year-old recipe.

Second, with vegan, vegetarian, Jain and non-vegetarian options, there is something for everyone under the sun. Last, and perhaps most fun of all, is their open kitchen plan where one can see bases being stretched, flipped, meticulously topped and then slid into a specially-fashioned oven lined with tiles of Vesuvian lava. And on days, when their orders are not backed up, diners can try their hand at tossing a pizza too.

We settle in and start with the tomato and mozzarella focaccia. This flatbread seasoned with rosemary, oregano and sea salt, set the tone for our meal. Paired with lemon iced tea, the focaccia drizzled with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) was simple and tasty; the light base, we were told, owed its airiness to the sourdough.

Next up was the pesto, cheese and tomato calzone, and once again we are blown away by how a few ingredients can be magically transformed into something amazing. It is hard to believe that simple sun-dried tomatoes, an assortment of cheeses, fresh basil and chilli oil, can reappear as a wholesome, tasty bite. 

Si Nonna’s Marksquare 
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Perfected by Chef Massimo Verzini, all the pizzas at Si Nonna’s are 12-inchers and though we make the politically-proper noises about it being too big, we believe the staff when they say the sourdough base is light on the stomach. After all, the bread-heavy feeling is missing.

The lunch-hour crowd had thinned a bit, so we decided to try our hand at making a pizza. Deftness and a light touch go a long way, and at the workstation one sees the precision with which each pizza is made. Ingredients are measured and set aside, and even a novice should be able to follow instructions.

Surprisingly, the pizzas at Si Nonna’s are numbered, not named. We had prepared Pizza No.3 comprising Kalamata olives, capers, oregano, garlic and fresh basil on a layer of tomato sauce. The result was not a perfect circle, but its taste was point on. We left our next order to the experts while we demolished our handiwork.

At Si Nonna’s
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Our choice of Pizza No. 10 with Belgian roasted pork bacon and artichokes with pecorino and mozzarella cheeses with fresh basil, was excellent. And of course, that misting of EVOO elevates everything it falls on.

Though there are a range of coffees, we wind up on a sweet note with the blueberry panna cotta and the skillet cookie. While the panna cotta was lovely, creamy and smooth, the cookie served with homemade gelato was absolutely scrumptious — warm and delightful with the chocolatey bits gooey enough to warrant another visit to Si Nonna’s.

Sourdough is their specialty and Si Nonna’s sticks with it — focaccia, croquettes, pizza and panuozzo — plus prosciutto boards and salads, but there is no pasta on the menu.

Si Nonna’s is on the ground floor of Marksquare, St.Marks Road, Bengaluru.