Pizzas? Who doesn’t love them? With special mention of Romanio pizza and Bulgarian Chef Radostin at the helm of L’Arte Pizza & Foccacia, I was curious to see the difference to traditional, authentic pizzas in Italy.
This was a special visit as L’Arte Pizza & Foccacia was offering world class Romanio style pizza for the first time outside Bulgaria. Lucky us fellow foodies of Singapore. With an illustrious title of the Bulgarian God of Italian pizza and 20 years behind him, Chef Radostin knew the art of kneading the perfect dough. It's time to try some.
Invited into the kitchen to see the difference between normal pizza dough and this unique Romanio style pizza dough, it was the first time I experienced seeing and touching such a proofed jiggly dough. As I put my finger in the dough it bounced back immediately.
Chef Radostin at L’Arte Pizza & Foccacia also encouraged us to don an apron for an attempt at making a first Romanio style pizza, under his guidance. It looked simple yet was so tactical! I could really see his passion in sharing knowledge and techniques before feeding us. Absolutely living the concept “understand your food before enjoying it” - I loved it!
Working up our appetite, we were told that the dough would result in a uniquely light crispy texture with generous air pockets within the pie crust. We tried the original of all originals - pizza pie without anything on it. Taking a look at each slice sideways, the air pockets were filled generously throughout the whole crust.
Light and crunchy on the outside with soft airy fluffiness on the inside. A touch of saltiness in the dough and I understood how Chef Radostin earned his Godly title. There was no doubt he deserved it.
The simple beauty of a Burrata Cheese pizza hit the table next with just the right amount of 100% Italian sun-ripened tomato purée. Topped with melt-in-your-mouth burrata cheese and a touch of Chef’s special homemade pesto basil and fresh cherry tomato. Yum!!! This classic combination on the amazing light crusty pizza pie made it really really special.
My favourite Tartufala, for those of you who love creamy stuff. The genius white sauce was a mix of ricotta and mozzarella cheese, and truffle cream. Creamy in the background crossed with salty smoky Parma ham flavour and topped with generous amounts of parmesan.
Another slant of bitter peppery rocket leaves balanced off the richness. Pizzas at L’Arte are taken so seriously that every ingredient placed on that Crown Jewel pizza pie is carefully selected and well thought through!
The Formaggi classic for all cheese lovers! A strong aroma of mozzarella, gorgonzola, scamorza and parmesan with a light touch of thyme soothed the sharpness with its distinct crispness. Thyme has always been my favourite herb although I would have never thought it blended so well with cheese. Clever!
If you are not into white based pizzas Chevre maybe your bet! Back to simple tomato purée, the great combination of goat cheese, walnuts, and honey with fresh baby spinach and cherry tomato atop. So refreshing to the palate, the light touch of honey a wow factor in this combination.
Meat lovers can look forward to Mortazza ~ the unusual artichoke cream with ricotta, mortadella and pistachio crumbs. Such a unique flavour I had never encountered anywhere else. If you are a mortadella lover like me, search no more. L’Arte Pizza & Foccacia would be the only place you get to try it and I bet you’ll want more after one bite!
Saving the best for last! Diavola - spicy sausage on a tomato base with mozzarella, red onions, black olives and grilled peppers. The sweet grilled pepper and salty black olive combination perfectly balanced the gentle spice kick of the sausage and sharp sweet red onion crunch. Blending in beautifully the best flavours of all ingredients emerged. Wow! I was so impressed.
Amazed at how Chef Radostin used fresh garnish to enhance the utmost flavours in his creations - rocket leaves, cherry tomatoes, walnuts, pistachio, honey, thyme, and red onions. Elevation of combined flavours to a little more sophistication, there was definitely nothing casual about the pizzas here at L’Arte Pizza & Foccacia!
For a sweet finish, the champion dessert pizza (year 2005) - Nutella. As simple as it seems, a perfect pizza pie layered with sliced fresh banana, strawberry drizzled with Nutella and a hint of mint leaf ~ the magic touch of mint leaf brought all the elements together dancing on my palate! Ahhh Chef Radostin did it again!
For such a simple creation with favourite elements in one place pizzas seem to hit the spot! Whether for a casual meal, a quick snack, a nibble with drinks or even a midnight treat ~ nothing beats pizza. So satisfying and comforting, the carbs, fat, savoury flavours and creamy cheese melt, this sinful creation sits at the top of many lists!
The interesting thing about pizzas is because the styles and flavours are so diverse it’s not easy to define what makes the best pizza. However, in my opinion the most essential key elements to a good pizza would be the dough texture - not too thick neither too thin, fresh ingredients must match well with the base sauce. Topped with good cheese and finally the right temperature to bake to perfection. L’Arte Pizza & Foccacia seemed to have done it all to perfection.
You can say it’s easy to make pizzas at home but I would argue just the opposite. It’s not easy to make outstanding pizzas of restaurant quality with good consistency, at least not in my experience.
I don’t know about you but I felt after 2.5 years of Covid, today I appreciate good food even more. I’m more willing to save the bucks and calories for top quality stuff. Life is too short and I revel in the moment when I treat myself. L’Arte Pizza & Foccacia was such a good find.
Served in long oval shapes and offered in ten delicious flavours, they can be purchased by slice or as a whole. Pricing ranges from $8-9.50 per slice to $28-$34 for the whole pizza. With a world class amazing pizza pie as a base, plus the unique flavours and high quality toppings I think it is worth every dollar. This would definitely be my first choice next time I’m craving for pizzas.
Officially opened on 9th May at 5 Wallich Street, each of L’Arte Pizza & Foccacia’s pizzas are hand-kneaded and baked in small batches upon order to guarantee its quality and freshness. Available in limited quantities daily be sure to order early online https://lartepizza.oddle.me/en_SG
Booking can be made athttps://lartepizza.oddle.me/en_SG. Follow L’Arte social media on Facebook and Instagram for its latest updates!
