Review - Cafe Marzano

Out of curiosity Wid and I checked out Cafe Marzano (Jl. Kunli No. 7, Seminyak, Kuta) about a week ago and we went back again just a few days ago. The inside reminded us of Cafe Felix in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Most of the clients were Italians or foreigners, and we kept seeing boxes of pizza ordered for delivery or to go, which looked like a good sign.

The first time we ordered pizza, seafood pasta, bruschetta, fresh apple juice, and coke. Out of all the Italian places we tried in Bali, this place has the best pizza. The thin-crust pizza is crispy (well, first one the crust was a bit wet probably because it was baked first before the pasta was done) and loaded with generous amount of cheese, sauce, and toppings. The flavor reminded me of pizzas from family pizzerias in US. What makes this pizza better than the rest is the quantity and quality of the cheese. According to Wid's brother, the cheese and Italian meats (pepperoni and ham) are imported from Italy. Unlike the other pizza here, it's rich and a bit oily but not greasy.

The seafood pasta was excellent also. This is the first time in Bali I had pasta that's actually cooked perfectly al dente. The seafood sauce was fresh and bright. We're really impressed by the fact that the food is not complicated or overly fancy yet very flavorful. As for the bruschetta, I really like the home made bread they used, but the sauce was a bit on the dry side. I think this was the weakest dish we tried out so far.

The pizza was so good that we went back a few days later and ordered another pizza. This time paired with the house white wine, it was made the pizza better. The white wine (I guess it was pinot grigio) really enhanced the flavor of the pizza, especially the cheese and green and red pepper, by adding a note of fruit flavor. Plus the wine help cut through the oily taste of the pizza. For dessert we ordered a small nutella pizza which did not disappoint us. Again, the crust was thin and crispy and it's loaded with lots of nutella, fresh whipped cream, and chocolate sprinkles.

Depending on what you ordered, the food is a tad more expensive than places like Warung Italia or Massimo, but the price is still very reasonable. Appetizers are between 25,000 rp to 40,000 rp. Pasta and other main courses run from around 20,000 to 42,000 rp. Pizza from 25,000 rp to 60,000 rp. Overall, we are very impressed by the pizza and pasta and I hope to check out other items on their menu soon.