Sitting at the top of Rampart Road in Pitta Kotte, the new outlet of Belmio Pizza is now up and running to bring you some amazing flavors that are homemade, fresh, and with almost all the ingredients sourced from local producers. The little restaurant follows an Italian theme in its menu though their specialty lies in the amazing range of pizzas they have on offer.
Working through the ranks in the restaurant industry to build his experience, Mr. Asanka is no stranger to the pizza or restaurant industry here in Sri Lanka with almost 12 years under his belt. Having learnt his craft in the kitchen, Mr. Asanka put his formal engineering training into good use when he started building woodfired ovens for several pizzerias and a few private homes. With these skills it’s not at all surprising, though quite amazing, to hear the story of how he built his own restaurant from scratch, joining in with the builders himself. Starting off with a small outlet on the Madiwala Road, close to Thalawathugoda, Belmio Pizza now has its second branch to cater to a growing demand. If you have ever tried out any of their pizzas, you won’t be surprised by its popularity.
The turquoise building at the top of Rampart Road is hard to miss and there is sufficient space on the road for customer parking. The restaurant has a truly captivating and rustic look with old wooden arches and open brick wall counters. Inside, the roof goes up to the rafters allowing the place to fill up with the amazing smells of the different fresh pizzas in their oven.
Inside the restaurant, with the warm yellow lights and the lively music, it is an ideal place for a dinner with friends, family or even a pizza date night with that special someone. The staff are quick to come and help serve your meals and help you out with anything you need. All done with a friendly smile.
For any pizza enthusiasts, the chef is quite happy to do a little show of making the pizzas and you can watch them prepare the dough with that traditional Italian pizza dough toss. To top this off, you can also see your pizzas cooking, as the oven opens towards the restaurant floor.
To start things off, we tried out a salad as an appetizer. Here we tried out the “Insalata Mista (Mixed Salad)” (Rs. 650/=) which was a beautiful dish with several diced vegies with a sweet crunchy feel as you took in a bite. This was a veggie dish of course, but Belmio has some other classic salad dishes as well on the menu like the “Rucola, Parmesan & Pear (Rocket Salad)” (Rs. 1100/=), Chicken or Prawn Caesar Salad (Rs. 1000/=) or the Waldorf Salad (Rs.1100/=).
Now if you know Belmio, then you probably know them first and foremost for their pizzas. Belmio offers a broad range of amazing pizza dishes that could easily cater to almost everyone’s individual tastes and preferences. Of course, if this menu still doesn’t have the pizza you like, then you can go right ahead and make your own pizzas. Pick the base and all the different toppings that you like so that you can get your own unique pizzas. The best part is that, unless you get a little carried away with the toppings, the price for making your own pizza will generally add up to about the same as a normal menu item.
So, we started off with their veggie toppings, which even for someone who is a meat lover, was an amazing treat. Going half and half with “Garlicky Mushroom” (Rs. 950/= for a 9” Medium and Rs. 1300/= for a 13” Large pizza) and “Vegie Gourmet” (Rs. 1130/= for a 9” Medium and Rs. 1500/= for a 13” Large pizza), the flavors really complimented each other as they were infused with a layer of cheese and sauce. Of course, these were just two of the 8 great veggie toppings on offer under the pizzas at Belmio.
Next, we moved on to some of the hot favorite meat toppings. Here we were treated to another great half and half combo of “Double Bacon Chicken” (Rs. 1340/= for a 9” Medium and Rs. 1750/= for a 13” Large pizza) and “BBQ Chicken” (Rs. 1200/= for a 9” Medium and Rs. 1550/= for a 13” Large pizza). I won’t deny that the Double Bacon Chicken is a personal favorite and Belmio Pizza really exceled in this dish. The chunky chicken pieces with the crispy bits of cut bacon was a real treat for all the senses as you could hardly resist taking in a whiff of the mouthwatering smells rising from the plate.
To top it all off, the pizzas were each set on the wonderfully crisp pizza dough that had been cooked in a woodfire oven using cinnamon wood. This in itself really added to the fragrance of the entire dish and really helped lock in some amazing tastes when eating the pizza itself.
To put Belmio’s pasta dishes to the test, we tried out their “Spaghetti Carbonara” (Rs. 1050/=) and their “Spaghetti with Chicken Bolognese” (Rs. 900/=). Watching these two dishes coming up to the table, fresh off the fire and with a little bit of steam rising from the hot, melting cheese, it’s really hard not to get too excited. The Spaghetti Carbonara, being another personal favorite, is a measure I personally use to gauge Italian cuisine. Again, Belmio did not disappoint but excelled themselves with this dish. As the cheesy, creamy sauce and the bacon slices entangled in a flurry of flavors.
To follow up this dish, we moved on to the Spaghetti with Chicken Bolognese, a dish that I hadn’t come across in a long time. Yet again, the chef and the team at Belmio really outperformed themselves and turned out an amazing dish. The tomato sauce base holding the chicken and the spaghetti together beautifully, allowed you to treat your taste buds to an amazing mix of tastes and smells.
Of course, you veggie lovers out there, don’t be discouraged. While we didn’t order any veggie pastas for a taste test, the menu certainly doesn’t forget about you. Belmio has six enticing veggie pasta dishes such as their “Ricotta & Spinach Ravioli” (Rs 1400/=).
Having done justice to our main courses, we turned our eyes towards the desert dishes waiting for us to dive in. We started off with a classic dessert item, the “Chocolate Mousse” (Rs. 400/=) which was a soft chocolaty delight in a small glass bottle, which you simply could not get enough of.
From this we switched over to the “Caramel Slice” (Rs. 400/=) another great personal favorite which was glazed over with a chocolate sauce. This again was a lovely plate and recommended to someone with a little sweet tooth.
To wrap up our deserts, we dug into the “Chocolate Meringue” (Rs. 200/=) another definite pick for someone with a sweet tooth. The Meringue effortlessly crumbles in your mouth and the chocolate sauce ties it all together in an amazing, sweet delight of a dessert.
Having had our fill of the meal, we were presented with three amazing drinks to wash it all down. Frist up was the “Passion-Pine-Orange Crush” which was an amazing blend of Passionfruit, Pineapple, and Orange juices. Here the blend was just right so you were just able to make out each item yet they each played off each other to compliment and improve the taste several folds.
Second up was the “Mint-Lime Cooler” which was a really refreshing drink. It was not too sweet and yet not too bitter. Sitting perfectly in the middle, this is another drink that really hits all the right spots with each sip.
Finally, the tasty “Cookies and Cream Shake” which was in its essence a chocolate shake yet spruced up by the cookies and cream. This is an ideal drink for anyone with a nice sweet tooth and loves a chocolate shake.
To get your hands on these amazing treats, the best way is to either drop in for dinner or pick up your order if you are driving by Thalawathugoda or Pitta Kotte. On the flip side, if you are in or close by to Rajagiriya/ Nugegoda/ Maharagama/ Kottawa/ Pannipitya/ Nawala/ Borella/ Thalawathugoda, just give them a ring and have a rider bring your meal right to your doorstep in 30 to 40 mins. Belmio Pizza is also available on Uber if you prefer to get your order that way. For orders/ pickup or reservations simply call them up on 0770 123 166. You should also make sure to check out their Facebook page @Belmiopizza or their Instagram page @belmiopizza so that you don’t miss out on their latest news and offers.
Belmio also has a truck with a small wood fired oven in the back which means that you can treat yourself and any guests you are having at a party by calling them up to do the catering. Of course, there is a minimum number of pizzas that you need to fill out for a catering request, but all the items are at the same price with an additional fee depending on where the truck has to come too.
Of course, the big worry these days is the COVID-19 pandemic and if it’s safe to order. However, at Belmio Pizza you can be happy in the knowledge that all possible steps are taken to make sure the food is always both safe and tasty. All staff are provided special transport so that they can avoid public transports, everyone has a temperature check at the start of each day and any guest walking in is checked and given hand sanitizers as well. Everyone handling your food and on the staff are always wearing a face mask making sure everything is as hygienic as possible by regularly sanitizing their own hands.
So, having tasted some of these different flavors on offer, I can definitely say that I will be going back to try out the rest of the menu very soon. Belmio Pizza did not disappoint, in fact it blew past all expectations and did justice to every dish they served. With their competitive pricing and wide range of pizzas, this is a definite must visit place for anyone and I can almost certainly guarantee that you will probably become a loyal customer afterwards.
