Hell Pizza, a chain from New Zealand, has just made its appearance in the capital in Greater Kailash-I, M-Block Market. While in Kiwi country, this is primarily a takeaway, the Delhi restaurant is fashioned like a "pizza pub", a very interesting concept that has a lot of potential given the fact that young diners, whether they be college-goers or young executives are increasingly looking at informal hangouts. And what better way to do that over a pizza that is not necessarily Domino's or Pizza Hut-the two MNCs who command more than half of the market share in this space?

Since the Christian hell is associated with gluttony and other vices, this is ostensibly a place where you can let yourself go and indulge. The interiors are dark and cavernous, there is a "fire" wall to remind one of the physical space we are supposed to be in and the cheerful staff will even lend you (or kids accompanying you) hairbands with devilish horns on them, which glow eerily at the flick of a button! Clearly, it is a fun space, with a bar on top and a pizzeria below, which pulls in more of a family crowd.

I like the look of the menu: It's extensive and the variety of toppings offered almost endless. I counted almost 30 types of pizzas-making this the most elaborate pizzeria in the country-under names such as Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Mordor (a tribute to the evil land from The Lord of The Rings), and even Serpent, Underworld (a seafood pizza this), and Temptress. These are distinguished by their toppings that include different combinations of fruits (cranberry and apricot sauces), vegetables (fresh spinach, eggplant, avocado and caramalised onions apart from regular stuff) and meats (seafood, Cajun-bacon, satay-style chicken...).

The problem with the offerings when they arrive on your table however is that most of these taste alike thanks to the overdose of cheese and tomato sauce that is slathered on to every pizza, with the result that the rest of the ingredients and flavours never standout. It's a good concept but the execution leaves much to be desired.