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Authentic Surprise: Mama mia, Pizza Mia is just like home! Italians and Italian food lovers all across Cairo give their thumbs up, putting Pizza Mia on the Authentic Surprise list
Actress, singer and Italian citizen, Sarita Marchesi was asked her opinion about Pizza Mia in Zamalek and her green eyes widened and lit up. "Yes! It is wonderful!" "It is… " speechless, she searched her mental English dictionary for the right words, but opted for simply and very expressively "it is just as it should be…" and signaled a hearty, smooth thumbs up. ## While there are different styles of pizza in different cities of Italy, Pizza Mia has seemed to have gotten something down right. "They have a fire-oven! That makes a big difference," says Sarita. Pizza Mia's crust isn't very thick at all, but its also not so flat you feel you are eating off of crackers. "Also, the cheese: they use real mozzarella," she says approvingly. ## And indeed, all of their toppings on their "gustosa" (LE38) pizza were fresh, genuine and well-balanced, although slightly salty. Likewise for the "Romana" (pepperoni LE38) pizza. A vivid sensation of freshness of the mushrooms and sauce on the "bosca" (LE42) pizza enchants you before ever hitting your mouth. The tanginess of the sauce perfectly offsets the earthiness of the mushrooms and bread, simply making you want more. The pizzas are not large and one hungry person can finish one off by themselves. ## As far as their appetizers, we tried the fried mozzarella sticks, which, if cooked thoroughly and the centre hadn't been cold, would have been decent. They seem to be out quite often of the cheese-stuffed croquettes and have yet to be able to taste them. ## Pasta is great comfort food, but it's not very exciting because it's, well, comfort food. The Bolognese pasta (LE39) was good for what it is: a simple tomato-based sauce with ground beef. They didn't take as much care as they could have with the sauce, but it was what you would expect in a restaurant in Italy. The grated cheese had been sitting in their refrigerator for about a week too long as it was noticeably drier than it should be, but overall the plate was good (Note: They only serve pastas after 6pm). ## Dessert? In an Italian pizzeria it would be a severe "miss" not to try their tiramisu. Out it came from the stainless steel refrigerator – in a clear, round plastic takeaway container with a lid! It may not be what one would expect, but the gooeyness of the mascarpone cream and thin layers of cake would only become a blob on a plate, and in any case the contemporary idea of tiramisu on-the-go seems to have taken root everywhere - even Italian airports. This tiramisu was rather flavourless. A major logistical drawback is that there are no restrooms. They offer disposable wet towel packets to wash your hands with before digging into the pizza. The place itself is narrow and fits four or five high table tops set on large wooden barrels with four stools each. Not meant for a long sitting, but then again - it's a pizza joint. A simulated vine trellis hangs off the ceiling over the pizza counter and white frames contrast with forest green walls and reveal small fake plants to give you the sense of a European window. On the side, they sell all-natural products free of additives and artificial colouring under the name Sapori Nostri (Our Flavour) such as pastas and sauces. The bottom lines is that the talk of the town is correct: Pizza Mia is great, authentic pizza. Best for delivery. For more Life & Style news and updates, follow us on Twitter:@AhramLifestyleor ourFacebook page) Address Taha Hussein Street (on corner with Ismail Mohamed Street, near Yamama Center Mall) District Zamalek Hours Monday - Saturday, 12noon - 1am Closed Sundays Tel 0227364177 Internet None Smoking No smoking Price range LE120 - LE160 for two people http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/72076.aspx
