At Last, A Bacon Of Hope

Walking into Crave is a bit like stepping into a pool of sunshine. There are yellow and white striped walls, little round tables and bright smiles. Crave is a fast food joint with few frills but high standards. The menu is fun—with unexpected elements like Mango Jalapeno Dip.

“What do you crave today?” asks the blurb on the wall. And your answer better be pizza or sandwiches, for then you have loads of amusing options. For example, a paneer-onion-capsicum pizza called Mrs Shah’s Favourite. Or a mushroom burger called Fungi Town. ‘No Beef, but there’s always Bacon of Hope’, exclaims a frame on the wall. We start our meal with the house-­blended ice teas (Rs 90), and both lemon and lemongrass are deliciously refreshing. The Fries with a creamy Che­­ese and Chives Dip (Rs 90 plus Rs 25) are crisp, hot perfection. My Firestarter sandwich (Rs 225) is an enjoyable combination of tuna, chipo­tle chilli mayo and cheese. My husband declares that his Knockout, with its fat lamb-­mince patty and bacon, is top-notch. The children stick to pizzas and with the staff obliging about ‘half and halfs’, they sample four flavours. The pepperoni pizza is excellent, as is the pizza topped by parma ham and arugula. But I loved Bacon of Hope, in which the paprika works well with ham and bacon and the Awesome Foursome, a fabulous combination of mozzarella, ricotta, scamorza and cheddar (between Rs 225 and Rs 425, depending on toppings).

Crave disappoints only in desserts. The Vanilla Panna Cotta (Rs 65), the Tiramisu (Rs 75) and the Hazelnut Cho­colate Mousse (Rs 75) lack punch. In every other way, Crave serves up high-quality fast food with panache.