DUBAI If you think pizza is junk food, think again. A new home delivery service has come up with a designer product which it claims is “the world’s thinnest pizza” and is as healthy as it can possibly get.
The Nonno Pizzeria launched by Profound, a Dubai-based investment group, has become the talk of the town as much for the innovative names of its pizzas – Slim fit, IT girl, Waist line, Swim suit etc – as for their nutrient value.
The pizzeria, located on Shaikh Zayed Road, undertakes free deliveries 24 hours a day anywhere between the Trade Centre Roundabout and Safa Park, and more areas will be added soon.
“You will find Nonno pizzas that are less than 400 calories. They are less than 0.4cm thin and measure around 32cm in diameter (the thickness of an average pizza in most other places ranges from 1cm for a thin pizza to 3cm for a regular pizza). The pizza bases are either white or brown and contain zero sugar and salt. The maximum cheese they can hold is around 50 to 60 grams,” said Talal Thabet, CEO of Profound.
He said the sauces used are fresh from the blender just as the chicken is free range and is roasted. “We avoid frozen stuff, preservatives, colourants and additives,” he said.
Thabet said the pizzeria was set up following a survey conducted with models, actors and celebrities across the world. “These people take extra care about the foods they eat to stay in shape. Based on their inputs, we created a product to reduce the levels of carbohyd-rates and increase the levels of nutrients in the ingredients.”
Customers can ask for their pizzas in a rolled, folded or open form. They can choose from four broad collections – casual, size zero, fabulous and luxury. The most popular pizzas are those in the size zero category. The Slim Fit chicken pizza, for instance, has fresh garlic and tomato sauce, slow roasted free range chicken, cherry tomatoes, local red onions and bell peppers.
“We use local produce to the extent we can,” said Thabet, adding that it helps retain nutritional value. The cost of the pizzas ranges from Dh28 for a Casual Queen Margarita to Dh390 for a Luxury Fashionista. The Fashionista contains Russian beluga caviar, fresh basil, organic basil and tomato sauce, soft mozzarella, fresh cherry tomatoes and aged balsomico. The Couture for Dh265 contains Alaskan crab and the Diva for Dh295 strips of baked wagyu beef. There are options for vegetarians and vegans too.
‘Saving the world from fastfood’
A Dubai-based deli, in its own small way, claims it is “saving the world from fastfood”. Positioning itself as a friendly, neighbourhood hangout place for officegoers and teenagers alike, the 24-hour Park Central Deli & Foodstore launched by the Profund group on Shaikh Zayed Road offers a range of salads, soups and sandwiches using local produce with minimal preservatives, colourants and additives.
“We are not a gourmet café but a delicatessen or speciality shop. We serve real food here with healthy options,” said Talal Thabet, CEO of Profound.
An innovative ‘Deli Mail’ menu offers everything from Beijing chicken roll and the Riz Khan fish fillet to the Mediterranean beef lasgna and the “world’s first baked steak shawarma”.
