A rainy evening, a few excellent pizzas and Bandra’s newest neighbourhood spot

Mumbai has a habit of making dinner plans for you during the monsoon. One minute you're walking through Bandra hoping the rain eases up. The next, you're looking for somewhere you wouldn't mind staying a little longer than planned.

That's how Amichi made sense.

Hidden behind an unassuming storefront, the new 16-seater pizzeria feels more like a neighbourhood restaurant than a big opening. Tables sit close together, the oven is never really out of sight, and every few minutes another pizza makes its way across the room, prompting someone to look up from their conversation and wonder if they ordered the right one.

The restaurant comes from the friendship between Angelo, who grew up in Italy, and Mumbai's Mishal Varma, but that story never overshadows the meal. It simply explains why the menu feels so personal. There are recipes inspired by Angelo's grandmother alongside Neapolitan pizzas that rely on good ingredients and patience rather than unnecessary flourishes.

We started with the Fiori di Zucca, partly because fried zucchini flowers are hard to pass up. They arrived piping hot, with a crisp, golden coating that gave way to a creamy filling of ricotta and gorgonzola. The ricotta kept things light, while the gorgonzola added just enough sharpness to stop the cheese from feeling too rich. Finished with pesto and parmesan, it was easily one of my favourite dishes of the evening.

The Napoli Pollo e Mozzarella followed. Tender roasted chicken, rich tomato sauce and plenty of bubbling fiordilatte came together in a dish that felt comforting without being overly heavy. It was simple, satisfying and exactly the sort of thing you want to eat on a rainy evening.

Then came the pizzas.

The Wild Mushroom Napoli was the standout for me. The mushrooms, roasted garlic, ricotta and parmesan worked beautifully together, while the truffle oil added flavour without overpowering everything else. The dough deserves a mention too. Soft through the middle, lightly charred around the edges and pleasantly chewy, it was the kind of base that would have been delicious even on its own.

The Parma Ham offered something lighter. Salty slices of Parma ham, peppery rocket, fresh basil and creamy fiordilatte balanced each other well, making it easy to finish slice after slice without feeling weighed down. Choosing a favourite between the two pizzas wasn't easy.

We couldn't leave without trying dessert. The Sicilian Profiterole had a light, creamy filling that wasn't overly sweet, making it a great finish after the pizzas. The lemon Caprese cake was my favourite of the two. Soft, moist and packed with fresh citrus flavour, it came with a smooth Caprese sauce that made every bite even better. We ended the meal with a hot mocha, which struck just the right balance between bitter coffee and chocolate.

There are plenty of places in Mumbai serving Italian food. Amichi isn't trying to outdo all of them, and that's precisely why it works. It feels comfortable in its own skin. You come for the pizza, stay longer than you intended, order dessert even though you're already full, and leave hoping the rain hasn't stopped just yet.

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