Appropriately located minutes away from Vile Parle Railway Station (E) is an easily missed gem. Yes, it isn’t in the trendiest neighborhood, but with close proximity to a dozen colleges, it’s doing pretty well for itself.
Oliva, Vile Parle
Oliva is owned by a first-generation entrepreneur, Makarand who has experimented with Italian cuisine for years before crafting his signature menu. He attempts to create dishes that are more delicious than ever before and authentic to his eatery.
The demand is high – with 80% of their delivery being takeaways and home deliveries. Yet, for those who prefer to catch up with friends for crispy crusts, cheesy lasagnas, and finger food, here’s what you can expect when you dine in.
AMBIANCE
On the surface, Oliva is the size of a parking garage that could probably house two to three vehicles. Small – even by Mumbai standards. As compared to the sit-out area that holds a couple of small tables, the interiors are much more comfortable. It’s air-conditioned with simple brick walls, almost no décor, and glass table tops.
Considering station-side restaurants, this one is miles ahead in terms of cleanliness and quality of food; pretty important parameters, if you ask me.
SERVICE
I can’t really comment on the service. Since there were only four tables with one blogger each on them and Makarand overlooking it all, the service was efficient. When I go back again, I’ll know for sure and edit this section. Until then, you give it a try and tweet your experiences to me!
FOOD at OLIVA
We had a fixed menu for the day in order to sample a bit of their entire new range of dishes. The normal menu, however is huuuge.. literally. It boasts of affordable sandwiches, pizzas and pastas to satisfy diners’ hunger as well as an array of drinks to quench their thirst.
Most patrons rave about Oliva’s pizzas – and rightfully so. Their specialties are known to be pretty nice-sized slices with generous amounts of toppings. But the place definitely has a lot more to offer.
Kokai and Orange Fizz
Look how colourful! Kokai was a concoction of kokum with a couple of other juices but I preferred the Orange Fizz more. Both carbonated drinks, really.
Garlic Bread with Cheese
Garlic bread is an absolute crowd pleaser and these were hot from the oven! Crusty and crunchy on the edges, soft in the middle and loaded with flavorful garlic and cheese on top. Yummilicious!
You know when you eat too many appetizers and don’t leave enough room for the main course? That happened 😀
Chicken Wings
Chicken wings get a desi makeover at Oliva! These weren’t your everyday BBQ wings or deep fried wings. They were marinated in spicy tomato-chilli paste and coated with a sweet-sticky sauce that were both made in-house. It’s a wonderful paring of flavors and textures you simply cannot get enough of.
Lasagne
Mamma Mia! Lasagna is so satisfying! This one was layered with zucchini, baby corn, mushrooms and chicken topped off with a creamy, white béchamel sauce that sat under the top layer of cheese. The portion size was incredibly generous. I find white sauce to be so much more tempting than red and since this wasn’t overdone with cheese, I loved it!
Chicken Crepe
Ding ding ding – we have a winner! Pizza may be Oliva’s calling card, but their Chicken Crepe was something I’d order again! Tender crepes were filled with chicken in a creamy, peppery sauce and finished with a drizzling of soy sauce. It came with a side of spicy potato wedges that balanced the mildly flavoured crepe perfectly. Try it out!
Stuffed Pizza
At first glance, it may look like a jam tart, but it is in fact, a stuffed pizza with a difference. The meat and other toppings are tucked into the layers below and the top is slathered with tomato sauce and cheese shavings. If you like experimenting, you may like this. It was a so-so for me as I found the sauce too overpowering and each bite of the pizza was naturally heavier as compared to a normal one.
Chicken Tandoori Pizza
Want to stick with a good ol’ Indo-Italian classic? The tandoori pizza is a safe bet. It’s nothing to write home about, but it is a lot better than what you’d get at franchise pizza outlets. The deep-dish pizza is loaded with chicken, bell peppers, cheese and caramelized onions.
Basa in Orange Sauce
Another great dish that showed that this pizza parlour can whip up sophisticated seafood dishes too! The basa was boneless, flaky and cooked to perfection, but it was the tangy orange sauce that stole the show. Some better presentation would have made this dish a lot more visually appealing.
Choco Lava Cake
I may have struggled to eat all this food, but I sure licked the bottom of this choco-lava aluminum case. Homemade, warm and soft, the dessert was a decadent end to my meal at Oliva. The molten chocolate oozed out but could have been a tad but thicker in my opinion.
All in all, the restaurant gets a thumbs up from me, especially since a decent, affordable pizza in the suburbs is rare. Make sure to try it out
You can order online here! (they even deliver up to Bandra and Juhu)
Or walk into 5, Harileela Premises Co.op. Society Ltd., 146 Ram Mandir Road, Vile Parle East Mumbai.
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Byee!