“We are positioning our restaurant as Italian….Pizza…Continental “- Chef Arvind

Pi Bar and Kitchen, Andheri West     2.5/5

https://goo.gl/maps/YeTbcjsAHkx

Address:   B-12, Off New Link Road, Ghanshyam Nagar, Veera Desai Industrial Estate, Andheri West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400102

Specialty:  Confused Italian

Type of Restaurant: All day bar and restaurant. At the time we visited, the restaurant didn’t have a liquor license.

The details above are from the restaurant/their website and are subject to change at their discretion

Price Range: 2600/- for two with one non-alcoholic beverage each. They levy a 10% service charge. Exclusive of applicable taxes and charges.

Ambience

They have a smaller older outlet in Khar with seating for 20. This place seats around 70.

The interior is elegant, with wood panels in muted blues and browns. The criss-cross niches for wine bottles translate across the walls right from the entrance to the bar. They have an open kitchen and small bar area.

Life’s Good, but it’s not perfect

Starters: We started with the Dough Balls which as the name implies, were little dough balls, oven baked and served with a garlic butter. 10 pieces in a serve, it was a fairly good start to the meal, with freshly baked bread. The downside was the generous bits of raw garlic mixed through the butter. Avoid this one if you’re on a date. You get the drift.

Mains: The pizzas are available in 10” and 14”. We had the Stagioni which was a thin crust pizza with pepperoni, ham, olives in a tomato sauce base. This was the best part of the meal. Fairly generous with the toppings, the base was just right. They don’t specify if the olives you get would be green or kalamata.

Gamberi a la Limoncello comes with penne, which we got replaced by fettucine. The pasta was al dente. The sauce was creamy. That’s where the fun ended. We had precisely 4 Gamberi or prawns and no Limoncello in the sauce. Despite checking with the server, prior to placing the order, we were served a sauce minus Limoncello. The chef later clarified that this was since they have no bar license. There was an obvious lack of communication between the kitchen and the servers. It was news to our server that Limoncello is a liqueur. We had an unfortunate cherry on the cake or pasta in this case, in the form of a single strand of pickled onion. The chef said this was for garnish, to add colour to the dish. Pickled onion on a cream sauce! Taste was clearly sacrificed for what they thought was aesthetic. 

Dessert: We had a Crème brûlée, clearly a French intruder into Italian territory. We ordered this since the other desserts were either unavailable or would take an undue amount of time. This arrived rather swiftly, probably since it made its way directly from the refrigerator to our table, making no stops. Granulated sugar was used, so the crackle on the top was uneven. Excessively sweet and grainy on the palate, we couldn’t get past more than a spoon each. The chef was at a loss as to the texture and what could have gone wrong.

Drinks: They don’t have a liquor license.

Service wise, the servers are attentive but could do with a lot more food knowledge. The chef was confused. More than 90% of the menu is Italian, though they are missing classics like lasagna, ravioli and gnocchi. With the exception of the cannelloni and the tortellini, all the pasta is store bought. The menu is riddled with typos. We couldn’t help but point this out, and hope they have made corrections. Sticking out like sore thumbs were the chicken sliders with barbeque sauce, Moroccan harissa and Chimichurri. Italian cuisine has such a rich variety, what is the need to look elsewhere? The chef said that was “to be different”.   If they intend the Life of this Pi to be a long one, they desperately need a more competent staff or at the very least a consultant to educate and inform them.

Insider tips

The restaurant is inside a building, it could get a bit difficult to locate.

What to wear Anything Casual.