Bea Arthur Mountains Pizza

Click on this link* for the definitive collection of pictures featuring Bea Arthur, Mountains and Pizza.

If I have to tell you that is awesome you have no business eating the best pizza in Hong Kong.

*Courtesy of my friend Willa, pop culture whiz kid of U of C class of '03.
*If you liked this link, you might also like Selleck Waterfall Sandwich.

Pizza Express

Have you ever been to the gym?  Have you ever been to the gym, with the intention of getting a salad afterwards, and then on your way home smelled the pizzalicious aroma of fresh Pizza Express...and then had to go there and order a pizza and a glass of wine or two and basically counteract everything you did at the gym times three?

Yeah, me neither.

Pizza Express is the restaurant you never want to suggest but always agree to instantaneously.  The feeling is similar to when you're traveling in another country and you're secretly happy when someone else suggests McDonald's for breakfast (the alternative being a walk around for two hours random point at a menu could be fish or intestines or rice surprise yet full of cultural experience breakfast).

Its a lot like McDonald's in that its predictable, tastes the same at pretty much every location and uses its political influence to increase its profits at the expense of people's health and the social conditions of its workers.

Just kidding!

Honestly though, it really is the most predictable pie in town if you are looking for a decent option while out in Soho, Stanley, TST, Taikoo Shing, Wan Chai...etc etc.  The crust is reliably crispy and you have a choice of Roman, Neopolitan or wheat crust.  I think wheat crust is for hippies and the other two taste pretty much the same but I usually go for Roman.

The sauce is zippy and the toppings are usually fresh.  I'm pretty sure they recently got rid of my favorite pizza flavor (Sloppy Giusseppe...see top pic) and replaced it with something called Chicago that involves barbecued meat and cheddar cheese only which may or may not illustrate an extreme lack of judgment on Pizza Express's part but I still think these guys are worth a shot.

They're also a good (though slightly expensive) option for delivery because the crust stays tasty reheated. If you don't know why I am talking about reheating delivery pizza then you've obviously never ordered a pizza in this Special Administrative Region.

Crust: 8
Toppings: 8
Sauce: 7
VFM: 5
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 7

Pizza Express

Soho Square
21 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central

Phone 2850 7898
Also located in Festival Walk/Kowloon Tong, Stanley, Taikoo Shing, Tsim Tsa Tsui, Wan Chai and Xintiandi

Domani

Domani is not exactly the kind of place to take your friends in low places, but I highly recommend it if you are looking for an excellent quality pie.

 

Set next to the Pacific Place 1 and 2 office towers, Domani is in a cool looking new building with interesting views of Central. Recently renovated, it is hip without being tragically so. They've replaced the lower, cozier tables with snazzy looking new bar stools. Personally, I prefer to sit with my feet on the ground but if all people did high-top tables probably wouldn't exist so I'm not giving out demerits for that. Anyway, less talk more action, let's hear about the pizza.

It is so far the one and only pizza I have ever had in this city that I would deem truly EXCELLENT! We ordered the Domani pizza which included mozzarella, porcini mushrooms, black truffle paste and sausage. The truffle oil was delicious and not overpowering (as truffles can sometimes be). The cheese was high quality and near perfect in its amount. The sausage was high quality and tasty. But the true beauty of this pizza is the crust. Perfectly crispy, deliciously thin but not too thin so as to get soggy...in a word...exquisite. It may be the best pizza crust in Honkers.

The menu generally offers a variety of typical Italian pies, however they do offer wheat crust (have not tried it). Interestingly, they also offer black squid ink dough for one pizza - could be fun - let me know if you try it.

Only a few complaints:

Point: Pizza may only be ordered in the bar. What is this? Pizza is a second class citizen in an Italian restaurant these days? I don't think so.
Counterpoint: Can also order it outside in the garden terrace (provided the temperature cooperates).

Point: At HKD120-HKD190 per pie, if you are, as they say, busted, this is probably not the place for you.
Counterpoint: Price is what you pay, value is what you get.

Crust: 10

Sauce: N/A

Toppings: 10

Ambiance: 9

VFM: 8

Overall: 10

Domani
Level 4 Pacific Place
88 Queensway
Admiralty
(In a taxi - ask to be dropped off at PP 1 or PP2)
Phone: 2111-1197

Pizzapalooza 2010 - Part 1

I've been really thinking about the pizza situation in Hong Kong lately so I decided to try out the pizza at Tycoon Court (aka in my kitchen).  My friend Nicole Walsh insprired me because she (a) is generally awesome, (b) is from Nebraska...which is probably about as random as you can get other than No Dak where I'm from, (c) reads my pizza blog even though she doesn't live in Hong Kong and responded to my request for sauce recipes, (d) probably loves pizza as much as I do and (e) is awesome. 

I was looking up some new recipes today for dough (because I'm still not 100% on any of the ones I've used) when I came upon the following statement:  "Go buy a pizza stone immediately if you are serious about making great pizza at home."  WOAH! The last thing I want to be is not serious about pizza. So, I immediately went to City Super and bought one.  But then I had a major dillema about the crust.  So since flour and yeast are cheap and time is....moderately priced especially when you are trying to avoid working at your real job...I decided to make 3 dough recipes.  Actually, I made 4 dough recipes, but one of them was crap.  Here are the results of my efforts.

Best Pizza in Hong Kong Homemade Crust Candidate Number One:

I used this recipe.  I didn't really get it because it was pretty much a liquid when I made it.  I probably had to add about a cup or more of flour in order to even make it pretend to be something that could become a pizza. So I probably effed the recipe entirely but as I don't like liquid pizza I didn't feel that I had many other options. 

After making the dough, I took a can of whole unpeeled tomatoes, mushed it through a strainer, and added it to the crust in addition to some dried oregano, salt and pepper. It was good because it had great tomato flavor but did not make the crust soggy (Thanks, Nic!). It was a bit bland though in this case (maybe I was too shy with the seasonings), so I added some more seasoning later. I used a combination of fresh and standard issue mozzarella, cooked at 450F/225C for about 23 minutes on a PIZZA STONE (because I'm serious) that I had dusted with corn meal.  At the mid-point of baking I added some fresh basil and covered the pizza loosely with foil because the cheese was burning.

I should also point out that if you do not put cornmeal under your pizza before you cook it you are a fool because that makes it extra delicious. 

The pizza was pretty bomb. Here is how it came out:

The crust was crispy and held its ground when it came to the toppings, however the edge crust was too crispy and dry. This is probably due to my modifications to the recipe while it was in liquid form. Overall I give this crust a 7 or so but since I went off recipe I'm not even sure what recipe this is so...

Best Pizza in Hong Kong Homemade Crust Candidate Number 2:

For this crust, I used the recipe from the pizza stone box.  Here it is:

1 pkg active dry yeast

1 C lukewarm water (non-yeast killing temperature)

1 tsp salt

3.5-4 C flour

2 tsp sugar

2T olive oil

Mix flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Dissolve yeast in warm water and let proof.  Add to flour mixture. Stir until dough becomes to form a ball. [Note: although the recipe lists 2T olive oil as an ingredient...it never calls for it. So I added about 1T at this stage and never used the rest]. Place dough on lightly floured pastry cloth and knead for 8 to 10 minutes.  Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Punch down and knead again, allow to rise for an additional 20 minutes.  Voila! 

Roll out dough and form a circle slightly larger than the pizza stone.  For this sauce, we did the following:

Smash one can of whole peeled tomatoes thorough a strainer.  Separately, saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and add to tomato mixture. Same cooking as before but add sausage and make it that much more sausagealicious.

If this doesn't look like a totally amazing excellent pizza, I don't know what does. 

I give it a 9 all round.

BOOYAH.

Moral of the story:  buy a pizza stone, follow this recipe, and be happy for the rest of your life.  Best Pizza in Hong Kong Homemade Crust Candidate #3 to come tomorrow.  It is so fancy you have to let it sit over night. 

Gratuitous dining companions shot:

Al Dente

Dear Al Dente in Wanchai,

You called me at 8:31 p.m. to make sure I would be there for my 8:30 reservation, even though you also called me at 6:30 to make sure I was coming.  You sounded a little to eager, but I excused it because I figured that since 5,000 U.S. marines were in town, you would be packed to your little Wanchai gills.

Little did I know that actually, you are just a tiny little thing. But that doesn't excuse everything. Why does your front door have no handle? That is confusing and makes people look like assholes.

Your pizza oven looked legit.  This gave me hope.

Your pizzas are good, but they are not the best pizza in Hong Kong.  The crust was crispy, thin and delicious, but you didn't use enough tomato sauce, just like your HK peers.  I thought you were different!?  Your toppings were fresh and good, but bland. We all added crushed red pepper...granted...it was the good kind of red pepper (the finely crushed really spicy kind), but we all felt robbed of the true pizza flavors we truly sought.

You're a nice place, Al Dente, but I don't think its going to work out between us long term. I think we should just be friends.

Sincerely,

Duffy

Crust: 9
Sauce: 5
Toppings: 5
Ambiance: 7
VFM: 7
Overall: 6

Al Dente
G/F 153 Jaffe Road
2122 9795

Note that there are locations in Soho and Sanlitun also.

Funghi:

Margherita:

Parma ham:

Margherita again:

Gratuitous dining companions shot:

Chicago Town Takeaway Sauce Stuffed Crust Pepperoni

There are some moments in life where a person makes a discovery so monumental that it changes everything. For Isaac Newton, it was when the apple fell from the tree.  For Benjamin Franklin, it was when he flew his famous kite in a lightening storm.  For high school kids in the U.S., it was when one of them dropped a Jolly Rancher into a Zima.

For me, it was when I found this pizza at Oliver's in the Prince's Building.

At the risk of exaggerating due to my two-year long frustration with the quality of frozen pizza in the Kong, this pizza was amazing.  The crust was doughy and delicious, the toppings were good (I didn't LOVE the pepperoni, but that's fixable) and the sauce was tangy and in perfect quantity.  If I had a freezer that was large enough to hold more than one ice tray, I would buy 10 of these.   'Nuff said.

Crust: 9
Toppings: 8
Sauce: 9
VFM: 9
Overall: 9

Available at Oliver's

Wagyu

There are two kinds of people in this world, my friends.  Those who go to Wagyu for steak, and those who go to Wagyu for pizza.  Last time I checked this blog was not called Best Steak in Hong Kong so hopefully that will inform your guess as to what kind of person I am.  The picture of a pizza on a table at Wagyu could also be a hint.

I have a friend who swears this is the best pizza in town.  And her last name is Slice so she does have 'za cred.  I have to say I think its pretty good but I'm not quite ready to throw it in the best of bin yet for a few reasons mainly related to the fact that this pizza tasted like it came straight from the Morton's salt test kitchen. That and the crust was a little soggy in the middle.  If you can't take the toppings get out of the kitchen, ya know what I mean?  That said, the toppings are fresh and delicious and its a fun atmosphere...especially if you have your party shoes on and are headed out to the join the masses on the mean streets of Wyndham later on...as a corollary to this observation I should also note that its probably not the best place to take your grandma for a heart-to-heart debate on the virtues of crochet vs. knitting.  Try the steak pizza (not pictured). Its a keeper.

Crust:6

Sauce: 7

Toppings: 8

Ambiance: 9

VFM: 6

Overall: 8

Wagyu

G/F, the Centrium

60 Wyndham Street

2525-8805

PIllsbury Pizza Dough

Do you have five minutes? Ok great then you have time to make a delicious pizza. 

I'm not sure if you all have noticed, but there is no good frozen pizza in Hong Kong.  And the delivery situation is suboptimal (if you want your pizza to be hot, or fresh, or not having a cockroach in it (no seriously, that really happened to me once)).

In an effort to remedy this PISSPOOR situation I made this delicious concotion of Pillsbury dough, Contadina squeeze pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and green and red peppers aka capsicum. All of these ingredients are available at your local Oliver's (in the case of the pizza dough - sometimes available, sometimes not), City Super (in the case of the pizza sauce) and Wellcome (in the case of the mozzarella and green peppers).  While I obviously prefer / highly recommend that you make your own pizza crust (recipe to come) and sauce (anyone have a good one?), this is a good, quick option when you're in a pinch.

Crust:  OK - this doesn't taste exactly like pizza crust, it tastes more like a Pillsbury croissant. But those are delicious. I know you can't argue with me.  7

Sauce:  OK - I admit this comes in a squeeze bottle - but its pretty good!  Give it a try. Or make your own if you are Italian or otherwise just that cool.  7

Toppings:  10.  But maybe I'm biased.

Ambiance:  10. But maybe I'm biased.  It is my apartment afterall.

VFM: 7.  Oliver's can be expensive, but can you really put a price on creating your own pizza in a land devoid of frozen/delivery options? 

Overall: 8.  Given the HK pizza sitch, this is a pretty good way to go - especially if you don't like thousandisland-abalone-fettucine-primavera-prawn-fest pizza or if you are not the homemade type.  And if you like a good hot, fresh, cockroach free pie in the comfort of your own home ...  Highly recommended.  Isn't this beautiful?

 

Shakey's Pizza

I recently (as in October) read in Timeout HK that Shakey's was shaking up the pizza world in Hong Kong, so I immediately (as in four months later) had to try it out for myself.  I was extra excited because we had a Shakey's in my hometown (Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA) and it was the coolest place for birthday parties.  I went to their website to see if it was the same franchise but when I searched my zip code they said the nearest Shakey's was on Super Avenida Lomas Verde in Mexico City (approximately 1,887 miles away).  HOWEVER, it is the same logo so I'm convinced its the same chain.  Actually, given the delivery time in the Kong, one has to wonder whether they actually deliver all Shakey's pizzas from the Mexico City location.

The Order:  9 inch Princess Margherita (fresh tomato, herbs & mozzarella) and a 12 inch Shakey's Special (beef, pepperoni, ham, onion, mushrooms, capsicum, pineapple, olives, tomato sauce and mozzarella).  Next time I'll indulge my urge to order a "cheese party" pizza and a tasty reward, such as Shakey's Famous Mojo, which based on the picture are either deep fried tomatoes, chicken cutlets or hashbrowns. 
Crust:  There were two options at Shakey's - hand tossed and thin crust.  The hand tossed doesn't disappoint if you are looking for a close approximation to delivery chain pizza in the U.S. - chewy, a bit salty, and strangely comforting.  In my opinion, the thin crust is the best bet here just because it balanced better with the overall pizza.  More on that....
Sauce: ...here.  I have to say that the sauce was a bit of a problem.  The sauce on both of these pizzas was so completely soaked in to the crust my dining companion and I wondered if there even was any red sauce on them.  It worked a little bit better on the thin crust because it didn't soak in as much and there was less crust to balance out.  Bottom of the line is - buy a squeeze bottle of Contadina at City Super before you order this stuff - you're gonna need some reinforcements.
Toppings:  Surprisingly fresh and delicious.  The Shakey's Special had something about it that tasted very Hong Kong pizza-y...if you live here you know what I mean.  But they use fresh mushrooms and that's more than I can say for Pizza Hut.
Delivery:  Misleadingly, these guys do not have their own delivery bikers.  They go through Dial-a-Dinner. So you can expect the normal Dial-a-Dinner service:  2 hour wait and cold food. 

And now, the ratings.

Crust (considering it was a delivery):  Hand-tossed - 7; Thin crust - 8

Sauce: What sauce?  1
Toppings:  7

Delivery: 5

VFM: 8
Overall (relative to delivery pizza): Thin crust margherita- 7; Hand-tossed Shakey's Special -6

Shakey's Pizza

Various Locations

Delivery Hotline: 311 00000

Happy Herb Pizza

Cambodian food had three of the characteristics I enjoy most in a cuisine, namely, it was 1. cheap, 2. delicious and 3. always served on a banana leaf. A handful of people have told me that it tastes like Thai food without the heat but in my opinion Cambodian/Khmer food had more elements of Indian food in it than Thai food does.  They also eat a LOT of fish which I did not expect given that I didn't even know they had a coastline.  Or the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia....

Nonetheless, there comes a point in any journey when you're through with the local fare and you just want to try a good pie.  GROSS I TOTALLY JUST SOUNDED LIKE ANTHONY BOURDAIN.

Upon the recommendation of Lonely Planet we tried our luck at Happy Herb pizza, one of the many Cambodian chains specializing in "happy" pizza...I'll let you make of that what you will, however if that were a real thing wouldn't they be serving it at college campuses all over America by the truckload?  Just saying.

We ordered 3 pizzas, and I think its pretty safe to say we were underwhelmed by all three.

My notes from the evening are nearly illegible but here's what I can make out:

"Its kinda shit."

"Looks like frozen pizza."

"Uninspired."

"Suboptimal kind of ok sucks."

"There's nothing good about this pizza."

"I like the blocks they're served on."

"I'm happied out."

But we had a fun time, and as a wise man once said, its not where you go, its who you're with.

And now for the ratings.

Crust: 3

Sauce: 3

Toppings: 3

Ambiance: 7

VFM: 7

Condiment Selection: 10

Overall: 4

Happy Herb Pizza
#068 Mondul 1, Khum Svay Dangkum
Siem Reap, Camboders

012 838 134