Roman style pizza and crispy ‘pan focaccia'... by way of a tasting menu at Pizza Day in Taman Desa, KL
KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Some believe that what makes a pizza sing is its toppings.
Me, I am savouring a slice topped with marinated Italian mushrooms, tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese – nice but nothing earth-shattering, you say.
Ah, but what makes this an uncommon slice isn't its toppings but its shape: it's square (a rectangle, if I'm being precise) and unbelievably crispy.
So crispy – not brittle, but light and confident in its crunch – that the Italians even have a word for it: scrocchiarella. It's a key trait of Roman style pizzas.
Imported premium Italian ingredients form part of the restaurant's décor.
Which makes it extra wonderful is that I am not in the Italian capital but enjoying this in KL, specifically the green enclave of Taman Desa.
Truth be told, I haven't seen a rectangular pizza slice since my days of backpacking in Italy. It was in Rome, together with two Americans (both from Chicago and both called Mike; and yes, we could tell them apart) and my closest Italian friend Manuel.
It helps, of course, having a local explaining why the pizza slice was square – it was the Roman style, called pizza al taglio (literally 'pizza by the cut' in Italian), sold by the slice thus easy for customers to take away and eat on the go.
Amuse-bouche' (left). Roman-style pizza is typically served in square or rectangular slices (right).
Years passed and it's still the more recognisable Neapolitan style of pizzas (i.e. the triangular slices) that continue to reign worldwide. So consider me thrilled for a chance to taste and perhaps relive a part of my misspent youth.
The place in question is Pizza Day, opened by Antonio 'Tony' Delachi just a few months ago in a quiet corner of Taman Desa.
Focaccia Provola & Cotto Ham.
The Italian restaurateur also owns Heritage Pizza in The Row KL, so we have high expectations of ingredients used.
True to form, Pizza Day's kitchen is stocked with premium Italian-sourced goods: organic wheat flour; soft and milky fior di latte, a fresh mozzarella cheese made from cow's milk; and sauce made from imported tomatoes. Even the dough undergoes 48 hours of fermentation before it's ready to be shaped and baked.
What stands out is that, in addition to the typical á la carte fare, diners can also choose to enjoy the restaurant's Degustazione menu – basically a multi-course chef's selection not unlike a Japanese omakase, albeit with Roman pizzas.
Pizza Fior di Latte, Potato & Pancetta.
We begin, not with the full-sized pizzas, but a couple of amuse-bouches: Two slender, crisp wafers topped with a velvety layer of stracchino cheese. One is paired with 24-month aged Parma ham, mellow and nutty; the other drizzled with lavender honey.
Tiny bites that offer an elegant juxtaposition between savoury and floral-sweet. A dainty prelude to alternating courses of pizzas and pan focaccia (focaccia bread) to come.
The first course, if you will, was the aforementioned Pizza Funghi. The mushrooms, marinated until tender, are balanced by a light tang of tomato and the mild creaminess of fior di latte.
Focaccia Burrata Nduja & Rocket.
Then our first pan focaccia arrives. The Focaccia Provola & Cotto Ham is served as triangular sandwiches, with ribbons of Italian cooked ham (prosciutto cotto) atop a layer of smoky provola, a type of aged curd-cheese.
This is followed by our second pizza – Fior Di Latte, Potato & Pancetta – which is all about textures and contrasts: Paper-thin slices of imported potato contribute a buttery crunch; the smoked pancetta, an assertive hit of salt; and it's all pulled together by the mozzarella again with its light touch.
Our next pan focaccia is the Burrata, 'Nduja & Rocket; an item that isn't on the á la carte menu. This is part of the appeal of a chef's selection, after all; little surprises like this – rich burrata cheese; fiery 'nduja, a spreadable fermented pork sausage from Calabria; and a much-needed peppery lift from the rocket leaves.
Pizza Margherita.
Finally a bona fide classic although with a twist: our Pizza Margherita has the traditional smear of tomato sauce, but instead of circles of mozzarella and whole basil leaves, these are cut into rectangular strips, perhaps to accentuate the pizza's Roman shape, as it were.
Time for sweet endings and our desserts. There are three options on offer today – the Degustazione menu isn't fixed so items are rotated – Homemade Tiramisu, Calamansi Sorbet and Bacio Mini Ice Cream.
A trio of desserts.
As there are exactly three of us at our table, we had one of each and shared. We almost didn't need the desserts, to be honest, as we were quite stuffed by that stage.
A tasting menu of pizzas and pan focaccia is a fine idea but make sure you come with a very empty stomach!
Pizza Day
53G, Jalan 1/109E,
Taman Desa Business Park, KL
Open Fri-Sun 11:30am-2:30pm and 5:30pm-10pm; Mon-Thu closed
Pop-up at Heritage Pizza KL (Lot 26 - G, Jalan Doraisamy):
Mon-Fri 12:15pm-3pm
Phone: 013-329 1918
IG: https://www.instagram.com/pizzaday_kl/
• This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
• Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
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