Pizzeria gives unique twist to Italian pasta

CHENNAI: A year ago, Kanishk Dhupad, Dheeraj Dhupad, and Vikesh Dhupad started Lazy Leopard, a pizzeria dedicated to serving Neapolitan-style pizzas in Chennai. The cuisine traces its origins to Naples in Italy. Simple and fresh ingredients are used for this and the edges of the pizza are charred.

Apart from pizzas, Lazy Leopard offers a few Italian dishes, which according to them is their USP. Now, the diner has launched its pasta menu. “We were primarily a pizzeria in the beginning. With everything we serve, we try to be as Neapolitan as possible. Honestly speaking, there was a growing demand among our patrons for pasta. So, we spent about three months experimenting with various ingredients to offer unique pastas. Our pastas are authentic to the roots of Naples, but with a modern twist,” says Kanishk Dhupad. With the restaurant, most of their ingredients are sourced from the place they originate and a few are in-house, like their ricotta cheese.

Many international cuisines are making their road to Chennai. But Kanishk contradicts the opinion and remarks, “When I returned back to Chennai after a long time, I realised that the city has a lot of influence from the south Indian and Tamil Nadu’s regional cuisines like Ambur, Vellore, and Madurai, among many others. Apart from these, there are pan-Asian options. According to me, I don’t think Chennai has experimented with global cuisines as imagined.”

“A few European food outlets are coming here. But not everything is specialised. The city is evolving. The exposure to food is vast and we have to offer those here and be as authentic as possible. We have to create that market. The customers are ready to try new cuisines and this is the right time to introduce more specialised diners,” adds the co-founder.

Kanishk explains how being authentic will not affect one’s creativity. “Authenticity means good interpretation and staying true to the origin is important. But that doesn’t curb a chef’s liberty to experiment with ingredients unless the roots are not shaken,” he elucidates.

Celebrating their first year anniversary in a few days, Lazy Leopard ran a campaign, ‘Pizza By You’, where people came up with their own pizza suggestions. Winners will be handpicked and their dish will be included in the menu under their name. They are also planning to revamp their menu.

We tried their latest pasta menu and a few starters. Among the soups, we tried the creamy wild mushroom and tangy classic tomato bisque. Polpette italiane is juicy meatballs with a balanced sauce, topped with cheese. The figcotta sogno contains roasted figs, creamy ricotta, walnuts, and balsamic glaze. The glaze and ricotta take the flavours to another level and it is a must-try for those who love figs.

Coming to the pasta, the chicken pepe al nero aced the list with its unique taste. Having its origin in Rome, fettuccine is tossed in a black garlic and pepper emulsion with sundried tomatoes. The blend of unique ingredients has elevated the flavours paired with succulent chicken. The pesto alla genovese had a good amount of pesto flavour and the walnut was an added advantage. Limone con ricotta is also on the must-try list for its grainy and creamy texture. The diner has played up with spinach and tangy lemon.

Try authentic Neapolitan and Italian-style delicacies with a novel twist at the Lazy Leopard in Gopalapuram.