EATING OUT: Here come the giant pizzas

The setting at Nomad Beach Bar & Restaurant is oh, so glorious! It sits smack on the beach with the sea being only a few metres away depending on the tide.

The laid-back ambience also adds to its charm, with chalk white furniture and brightly coloured pillows complete with vibrant kangas which often billow in the wind as they provide shade to diners. Here you can order a chilled drink and while away an idle afternoon enjoying what Italians refer to as la dolce far niente — the sweetness of doing nothing.

I recently returned to this spot with a group of about 15 people and we sat at a table overlooking the beach. I had no idea what we would be eating as our order had been placed earlier by the ‘mother hen’ of the group. Every big group always needs one of those, and lord knows I’m not nearly organised or attentive enough to be that person. Turns out she had ordered four pizzas, which were served promptly.

I have never seen such big pizzas first-hand. Each type was served on a board, and three of these were so long — about 4 feet — that we could only have one at a time at the table. Mushroom on pizza always work so seamlessly … I would marry a mushroom pizza if it was legal.

The first one we got was a standard circular large pizza with mushroom and a rich fresh tomato base. It disappeared really fast. I knew that if I was to survive in this savage jungle of 15 people, I had to strategically position myself at the middle of the table so the board would always reach me, whatever side of the table the waiters served first.

Next came a cheese pizza, and I thought I was perhaps being secretly pranked on local TV show ‘Naswa’. It seemed so naked to me, and there must be a reason that restaurant in Westlands called Naked Pizza shut down — people want toppings! Why on earth would our mother hen order this? A plain cheese pizza is so outrageous to me. It also tasted every bit like chapati and I was half tempted to get a takeaway bag so I could have some with ‘madondo’ later that evening, but I’m trying to be more civilised in 2019.

The pizzas here are classic Italian style complete with a thin crust and fresh ingredients. Given the size made for our large group, imagine how big their wood fired oven must be! They were also served hot and had been cut into rectangles which worked for that length and our large group.

The prosciutto e funghi and diavola pizzas (which is pretty much a pepperoni pizza) were fast favourites. The pizza section is also so extensive, which was a pleasant surprise. If you visit this spot, please be adventurous and steer away from the cheese pizza … they have an array of fresh and delicious seafood pizzas for heaven's sake!