Pizzas in Singapore #1: Sole Pomodoro Pizzeria

When I think of pizza, I think of Pizza Hut and Domino's. I remember fondly the days when I would anticipate the birthday of a family member, not because of their birthday itself, but because I knew I would get to go to Pizza Hut. Back then, our family didn't eat out much and were not that well off, so pizza was a special treat and was only reserved for birthday celebrations. Fast forward to today, it's rather sad that my tastebuds have gone gourmet on me, and though these American-style pizzas do fine for a meal, I'd much rather spend that money and waste those calories on a true-blue Italian pizza. 

I guess you could say I underwent a pizza revelation when I was in Italy. As many would know, staples in Italy are pizza and pasta mostly, coupled with good wine and lots of olive oil. There, I had all sorts of pizzas, from any place imaginable - highly raved ones to those hole-in-the-walls, where you buy a slice or two of pizza just to fill your tummy when you are walking around the city. Some were good, some were not so good, and some made me realize how awesome pizza can be. The revelation came in Naples really. I’ve talked about it before, so I won’t go into great detail, but suffice to say, I never knew that pizza could be made so simply with just 3 ingredients – tomato, mozzarella and basil AND could taste so darn delicious. Having being brought up with the idea that pizzas with lots of toppings taste awesome, my first thought of having a pizza magherita was - how on earth I can stomach a pizza with just 3 ingredients? Anyway, in my mind, it was just 2 ingredients because basil is a herb and doesn't really qualify.

Well, you can. With ripe tomatoes you can make an awesome tomato paste, on which you break portions of buffalo mozzarella, which taste so rich and creamy that it's heaven in a bite. Not to mention the crust. Different parts of Italy serve different variations of pizza, but Naples is well-known for their thick crust and relatively thin pizza, and I dare say that nowhere in Italy is the Pizza Magherita better than that in Naples.

Pizza Magherita at Sole Pomodoro

Alright, long story aside, my point was that I started to appreciate good pizza, so when I came back from Italy, one of my first objectives was to recreate the Italian experience by having the best pizzas Singapore could offer. Suffice to say, I have been working through a list of pizzerias I've collated, and I've decided to start off with Sole Pomodoro, because it's still fresh in my mind and I can still remember how the pizza tasted. 

I went with my bff to Sole Pomodoro on a weekday afternoon, for a rather late lunch and lo and behold, besides ourselves, there was nobody in sight. That was awesome for us, because it meant that we could have our pizzas asap. We each ordered a pizza, I went for the basic Pizza Magherita (S$15.90) whereas my bff went for the Funghi (S$17.90), which was basically the magherita with mushroom toppings. We didn't go for the pasta, because both of us were there for the pizza really, but I can say that if their pasta used the same tomato sauce as the pizza, you can't go too wrong with that.

Since we were the only ones there, we chose a table close to the entrance of the kitchen, so that we were able to observe the chef. The main chef is Italian, but as you can see from the picture, his sous chefs are mostly Filipinos. The pizza was prepared very quickly - using dough that was resting under a cloth and within minutes, it was made into the usual disc-shape and tomato and mozzarella slathered onto it. The pizzas here are baked using a wood-fired oven, which is the brick thing you see in the background in the photograph. It probably takes about 5 minutes or less from when the pizza goes into the oven and to when it is taken out, ready for consumption.

I didn't get a nice photograph of the interior - but I love the vibrant colors used in the pizzeria - they have panels of orange tiles for the kitchen, which is an absolute delight against the bright blue furniture that they use for the chairs and tables as well as the place mats. Everything screams HAPPY :] I also loved how they attempted to go with a relaxed atmosphere, which is perfect with a pint of cold beer and delicious pizza. 

Having been to l'Operetta, I can safely say that both bff and I prefer Sole Pomodoro's tomato sauce, because it's richer and has a natural sweetness to it. Nevertheless, I found the crust overly thin, which perhaps suits the preferences of most Singaporeans who prefer thin-crusted pizza. I was hoping for a thicker pizza, one with a thick cornice and thin centre, but suffice to say, this hit pretty close. I read on Dr Leslie's blog that you can request a thicker crust, a Sole Pomodoro special - perhaps I'll ask for that the next time I head down! I also found that the pizza on the whole was slightly salty, but my bff didn't think so, so I guess to each his own! Of course, I've to add that for my pizza magherita, the mozzarella used wasn't the buffalo mozzarella - for that, you have to opt for the more expensive version which costs around $28 if I'm not wrong.

Mind you, my bff and I are rather huge eaters, so between the two of us, we managed to demolish almost an entire pizza each, leaving about a slice or two leftover. If you're a small eater, as are most girls here, you can probably share a pizza between the two of you, and at $15.90 for a more than decent Magherita pizza, I'd say it's real value for money. Alternatively, you can probably get the waitress to pack your remaining pizza - that's what we did with our remaining slice and it was nicely packaged in a foodsaver bag. What's even better is that they have lunch deals and daily specials for $15.90. As you can see, lunch is from 12-3pm, and you get a choice of 3 different set lunches - that's a main and a dessert for $15.90! Considering that Pizza Hut and Domino's pizza can cost more than $20 for a regular pizza, this pizza which is equivalent to a large pizza is definitely a steal!

Also, when I was there, I saw them packaging a number of pizzas for takeaway, so do call and ask for takeaway if you wish. They don't deliver! Like I mentioned earlier, the waitresses are also kind enough to pack up your pizza if you can't finish. And speaking from experience, the pizzas taste equally delicious, even when they're cold! :]

Oh, and just to forewarn you if you're heading down by car - parking's relatively easy to find, but getting there can be a bitch if you're coming down from the west side of Singapore because not only will you have to pass through an ERP gantry to get there, you have to do a U-turn near Bencoolen and traffic's a pain! But trust me, it's worth it! :D

Details

Sole Pomodoro Pizzeria 

Address: 12/21 Mackenzie Road #01-01, Singapore 228678
Contact: 68843671
Opening hours: Opens 12pm till 11pm daily, closed on Mondays.
Website: www.solepomodoro.com
Price: starts from $15.90 for a pizza magherita. See their menu here