my parents now live in bani gala, an extended suburb of islamabad near rawal lake. there is a little market a short distance from our house (which i call the bg high street) that sports necessities such as a general store, a pharmacy, a butcher, a tea and juice stall, a grocer and a tailor. amidst all these is a small pizzeria strangely named ‘pizza vom’ – hot as hell.
pizza is one of those foods that has universal appeal that allows itself to be appropriated by the tastes of the country in question. pakistani pizza’s come in all shapes and sizes. most people here prefer a thicker, greasy crust but you can get thin ones too at the likes of luna capresse and al forno. they are usually topped with generous amounts of melted cheese, are heavy on spice and some meat. pizza vom happened to be surprisingly good. a thin slightly crispy crust that was not over burdened with its toppings (what i mean to say is that the pizza didn’t collapse under the weight of them) – there was capsicum, chicken, sausages and black olives and quite a lot of spice. a very local version of an italian staple!
i must confess. i do so love a pakistani pizza once in a while.
shop 4| mughal plaza| main road bani gala
