The Authentic Italian Pizzeria – Pizza Di Rocco

Having heard lots about Pizza Di Rocco from a friend, I finally decided to give it a try. Pizzeria these days often claim to serve the most authentic Italian pizza and pasta, but most of the time, it’s only limited to the marketing. Pizza Di Rocco, the well deserved winner of “Best Budget” category in Time Out Abu Dhabi awards 2014, does very little of the latter, but is completely focused on creating a complete authentic Italian experience for its patrons.

As soon as you step into their Pizzeria located on Salam street in Abu Dhabi, you are enveloped by a rustic Italian charm that is evident in their interiors, seating, kitchen, decoration and definitely their food. The place was rather quiet being a Saturday afternoon, which gave us a better opportunity to learn more about the restaurant, the concept, the ingredients, and of course, devour the delicious food at a leisurely pace.

Also, their orders are heavily delivery based, and they have a swift and efficient process of delivering food hot and fresh with a complete online order system in place on their website www.pizzadirocco.ae

We happened to meet the owner of Pizza Di Rocco, Peter Samaha, and got the wonderful pleasure of having lunch with him and learning all about what goes into making an authentic Italian Pizza. They pride themselves on using the freshest ingredients, preparing all their sauces and dough in-house and creating every dish from scratch. They have no freezers in their restaurant and everything is baked.

The kitchen shelf was lined with huge oil jars, and the dining area had an antique shelf on display with a variety of oil carafes. They had every imaginable concoction from roast garlic and Rosemary to dry chillies and herbs, and even an exquisite mix of Kashmir and Japanese chillies. I inquired about the secret of these fragrant oils. All their oils were home-made and were allowed to steep over an extended period of time for the flavors to infuse in a perfect blend.

As we seated, we were offered complimentary bread with three dips to start off with while we waited for our entrees. The dips included pesto, garlic oil and parmesan cheese. The thin and crispy flat bread made the perfect complement to the creamy pesto. The oil was garlicky and the parmesan offered a strong flavor.

I was particularly impressed with their fairly priced yet extensive menu, each item having its own authentic feel. We decided we would just ask Peter to order for us.

Our entrees included the Di Rocco Salad and the famous Italian antipasti – Insalata Caprese. Di Rocco, their signature salad was a healthy mixture crispy Italian greens, tangy cherry tomatoes, olives, spring onions, mushrooms, walnuts and pine nuts along with ‘melt in the mouth’ baked goat cheese nuggets, and was drizzled with a sweet Balsamic home-made dressing.

The Insalata Caprese was divine, to say the least. Combining sliced vine tomatoes with fresh Buffalo Mozzarella, the dish was topped with basil leaves and drizzled with pesto in olive oil. The cheese was utterly creamy and so light, it was a delight!

Peter then suggested we go for the Speciali Di Rocco pizzas for our main course. We ordered Fattoria, which was the most ordered pizza and Chicken Tandoori which was the flavor of the month for January. To make it more exciting, we were led to the open kitchen where their talented chefs worked to create the authentic Italian gourmet pizzas. We requested for whole wheat pizza base. The pizza flour was kneaded right in front of us into dough which was then worked on by hand into a thin base. Their home made pizza sauce and fresh mozzarella was spread over the base followed by garden-fresh vegetables and flavorful meat. The pizzas were then placed in a wood fired oven and it took only 90 seconds to have it ready to be served!

I asked Peter about the concept behind wood-fired ovens and he went on to say that they use wood only occasionally. Among these are olive wood, mesquite and hickory, each of which adds their own unique fragrance, not only to the pizzas but to the entire pizzeria.

The Fattoria was a unique mixture of three of my favorite ingredients – caramelized onions, sundried tomatoes and pesto. The pizza was topped with pine nuts and creamy goat cheese. The cheese was perfectly savory and although it is widely believed that one needs to develop a taste for goat cheese, this one was as fresh as it could get. I would have preferred having turkey or pepperoni as an additional topping to give it a meaty side.

The flavor of the month for January, Chicken Tandoori, came topped with spiced roast chicken and a combination of red onions, jalapenos, and fresh spring onions. The chicken was deliciously tender and perfectly spicy. Jalapenos, one of my all-time favorites were a star in this pizza. We drizzled some Japanese and Kashmir chilli oils to add more flavor to the gourmet creations.

These light and crispy pizzas were made in a true Italian style, with exquisite ingredients, unique combinations and full of flavor.

Peter insisted we try out their signature Tiramisu which was a chef’s special dessert. This home-made dish was true indulgence. Generously dusted with cocoa powder, it brought together layers of fresh creamy mascarpone cheese and soft lady fingers into a heavenly creation. If I could I would have ordered two of those and eaten them all by myself.

We ordered the Lavazza styled café latte to accompany our Tiramisu which was served hot and presentable.

To end it, I would say the 2 hour ride to Abu Dhabi was worth the lunch and what we received in return was the true taste of Italian gourmet pizza, complete with an authentic Italian dine-in experience at Pizza Di Rocco.