Review of Fire & Ice

Fire & Ice, named after the Robert Frost poem of the same name, is a well established landmark in Kathmandu that had come highly recommended by both guide books and internet postings. In the past we had not gone because we were on rather strict budgets, and though the prices are not high by US standards, one pizza alone costs what we got most meals for. I had heard that the pizza was as good as that back in New York, and having had Pizza at other spots in Nepal and through out Asia I was eager to see if this were true. For those who have not had pizza in Asia, it is generally terrible, often using ketchup for sauce and the cheese is imitation mozzarella or worse.

We started with drinks, Kim got coffee (110 NPR) that came with warmed cream and I got ice tea (100 NPR) Both were good. The ice was safe, the tea was flavored with citrus and was some of the best I've had in Nepal. They also offered a good selection of alcohol and the standard selection of soda and teas, at what looked like fairly reasonable prices.

Next we moved on to the actual pizza. Kim got one with olives (350 NPR) and I got one with olives and red and yellow peppers (375 NPR). The pizzas were thin crust and were made with real sauce and mozzarella cheese. While I'm not going to say it was as good as what we are accustomed to back home, it was excellent by Asian standards and far and away the best we've had outside of North America and Europe*. The peppers on mine were roasted just right and the olives too were a good quality and all had excellent flavor. Personally I found the sauce to be the weakest link in the pizza and it was slightly lacking in flavor.

Over all I was impressed with Fire & Ice and will definitely give it another go in the future. In addition to the pizzas they also had a decent selection of pasta and other Italian dishes that would be worth a try as well. The only thing keeping this place from an a weekly trip is the price tag. Although not too bad by western standards, and decent for the quality the 1,187 (NPR) price tag was a little on the high side. This price included the two pizzas, drinks, 13% VAT and a 10% service fee. While some places in Kathmandu charge the higher prices and fail to deliver, Fire & Ice delivers a product that matches its price range.

*Kim would like to note that she doesn't think we had any decent pizza in Europe and that Fire & Ice surpasses anything we had in Italy or France as well.