Around
the World with California Pizza Kitchen
International
Pizza & Beer Carnival
California Pizza Kitchen is one name that is known for its
creativity and out of the box varieties. It never fails to amaze its patrons
with its experimental and exquisite pizzas. They always believe in serving the
best and something new every time to its customers. This time, the occasion was
International Pizza & Beer Carnival and I was invited to be part of the
tasting session few days back.
What’s special about this occasion? Well as the name
suggests, an exclusive menu has been curated by CPK for the ongoing International
Pizza & Beer Carnival with
9 Pizza’s from different countries and 6 beers representing a country.
A kick-start evening knocking on the doors, I started with
a Mango Mist Estacy which contained
some mango juice, mint leaves, lemon topped with soda. It was simple yet
refreshing drink, a perfect start to the evening.
Mango Mist Estacy
The first pizza
marching on the table was Southwest Burrito Pizza from Mexico. Well, do I blame myself
for falling in love with CPK’s food again and again and again. This
regular
crust pizza with spicy black bean sauce, grilled onions, cottage cheese, fire
roasted chillis, mozzarella and cheddar cheese served with sour cream was treat
to the taste buds as much to the eyes. It is not very often I start off with a
veg pizza but honestly speaking it was impressive to say the least.
Southwest Burrito Pizza from Mexico
The next pizza
screaming aloud for the attention was Cheeseburger Pizza from USA. This regular crust pizza was sensuously
dressed using Chunky chicken burger with carmelized onions and crushed black
pepper along with CPK’s homemade secret sauce, sliced gherkins, mozzarella and
cheddar cheese. This pizza was outstandingly good, with Chef deserving applaud
for the presentation.
Cheeseburger Pizza from USA
Next making the
jump on the table was Bejing Style Veg Pizza from China. This was served which contained soya
and garlic flavored button mushrooms, baby corn, bell peppers and shiitake
cooked over a fiery schezwan sauce with mozzarella and cheddar cheese on a
regular crust and garnished with scallions (green onions). The taste of
scallions was evenly spread over the entire pizza. Lately, I have been eating
too much of mushrooms and this pizza does not disappoints me. Veggies who enjoy
scallions and mushroom should definitely try this.
Bejing Style Veg Pizza from China
And the next on the
table making a grand entry was the most awaited pizza of the evening, Fish and Chips Pizza
for the United Kingdom. This was love at first sight for me. Take
a bow Chef Kuldeep for the brilliant presentation and make it look so eye
pleasing. This thin crispy crust pizza was loaded with CPK
tartare sauce, mozzarella, onion rings, fried fish and sprinkles of some capers
with crispy spiced fried served resting atop on the crust and served with lime
cream sauce. This pizza is not be missed at any cost.
Fish and Chips Pizza for the United Kingdom
Say Namaste to the
next pizza on the table from India, Kasundi Paneer Pizza. Will I stop being surprised and over
excited every 15 minutes? Chef Kuldeep has left no stone unturned to make this
carnival one of its kinds. What a brilliant concept to represent India. This
pizza, a trio of cottage cheese, roasted pepper and tomato marinated in Indian
spiced mustard sauce (Kasundi) topped with mozzarella and garnished with
coriander on a thin crust. I bet, no one can eat just one slice of this pizza.
You are bound to ask for more. This is the best pizza I have had till date and
surprisingly its veg.
Kasundi Paneer Pizza
Marching on, next
on the table was Capriciossa Pizza from Italy. A thin
crust smothered with Italian pomodoro and mozzarella cheese topped
with artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and fresh sliced mushroom cooked with
fresh mozzarella, grated parmesan and garnished with hand torn basil which left
a strong taste on the entire pizza. I could not enjoy much of this. It wasn’t
bad, it just didn’t suit my taste buds.
Capriciossa Pizza from Italy
Sauerbraten Pizza from
Germany was served next. This pizza contained
traditional sauerkraut (sour cabbage), shredded chicken, sliced onion,
mozzarella cheese on a regular crust baked to a crisp golden crust and topped
with German potato salad. The taste was very sour due to sauerkraut and the
potato salad dominated the taste of the entire pizza and did not impress me
much.
Sauerbraten Pizza from Germany
A bit late of an
entry by Brussels Pizza from Belgium. This pizza had, Pesto marinara,
saute spinach, sliced mushroom, sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella and parmesan
cheese on a thin bubbly crust. This is yet another masterpiece from Chef Kuldeep.
And let me say it again, the second best pizza of the evening and it is veg.
Brussels Pizza from Belgium
The last in the
race making entry was Rookwurst Pizza from Holland. This traditional crust pizza
was topped with marinara along with sliced onion, pork salami, smoky bratwurst
sausage and hearty sprinkling of Dutch Gouda cheese and herbs. I will not
comment on the taste aspect of this pizza as I do not eat Pork. But definitely
it looked amazing and going by the taste graph of the evening, I am very sure
this will be evenly appreciated by the people who enjoy pork.
Rookwurst Pizza from Holland
And it doesn’t
matter if there is any dessert on this special menu or not, when I visit CPK, Tiramisu is
must have for me.
Tiramisu
The
menu has been crafted to suit meat cravers and veggie lovers alike! The special
pizzas capture the culinary spirit of the countries it represents. Its flavours
are infused over the succulent base, making these recipes really unique leaving
one wanting for more with every bite. CPK’s kitchen experts source the freshest
of ingredients to ensure that one trip to California Pizza Kitchen will definitely
not be enough.
This
International Pizza and Beer carnival is highly recommended. Do not miss out to
savour the flavours from around the world. The carnival ends on October 19, 2014.
Verdict:
4.5/5
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