Oven-baked pizzas Singapore « Musings on the M49

Pet-friendly pizzeria offering oven-baked Neapolitan-style pizzas with crispy crusts and fresh ingredients.

Yet to try all the eateries at the newly-opened One Holland Village mall in, well, Holland Village but I have already eaten twice at Extra Virgin Pizza, which has another outlet at Asia Square.

First time was with my HV pal and her dog as the popular pizzeria is one of the few eateries at the pet-friendly mall to allow diners with (leashed) pets to dine at their al fresco area. Second time was with a churchmate group of nine to celebrate a birthday.

After some apparent mix-up with our reservation—for which we were given complimentary ice lemon tea, which was nice of them—we were led to a pizza-slice-shaped table that has a giant Extra Virgin Pizza Hand-with-Peace-Sign icon perched atop of it.

Of course, the key thing at Extra Virgin Pizza is their pizzas (divided into Red/White from $25-36) that are oven-baked Neapolitan-style with crispy thin crusts. One serving is just nice for two people to share. The menu also contains pastas ($27-$34), salads ($23-$25), “not pizza” sides ($10-20) and sweets ($6-$12) including an Italian cheese platter ($26). Drinks-wise are the usual suspects of beers, wine, spirits, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks.

Small Bites to Start With

The pizzas each take at least 20 minutes to prepare, so of course we ordered some starters as a few stomachs were already growling. We had a horrendously healthy looking Rocket Salad ($12) with walnut toppings and Truffle Fries ($14), which like many truffle fries elsewhere these days, were golden and crispy with generous sprinklings of parmesan but with hardly any truffle flavor in it.

We also had two plates of Crispy Calamari ($18) which is one of their better non-pizza items, as well as another “healthier” but no less tasty choice of Broccolini Gratinata ($12). All of which were more or less good enough to tide over our hunger pangs till the main star items come along.

Slice Slice Pizza

As two of us enjoyed The Breakfast Club Pizza ($33) previously, we recommended it again for this big group of ours. Consisting of artichoke cream, house cured guanciale, slow-cooked egg, pecorino romano, fior di latte, and black pepper, the egg was very runny in this version compared to the very cooked one we had before. Nonetheless, it was still very tasty and the crispy crust was great to chew.

Bearing the vegetarian among us in mind, we went to order two meatless pizzas which on hindsight we could have gone for another meat version. Still, the Forbidden Shrooms ($33, above left) comprising porcini, button and oyster mushrooms, caramelized onion, fior di latte, organic evoo, rosemary was rather scrumptious.

Meanwhile, once the carnivore that you are get past all the greenery, the Secret ‘Stache ($29), which comprises Bronte pistachio pesto, rocket, ricotta salata, fior di latte, and lemon citronette, was quite yummy especially the parts covered with the flavorful basil-forward pesto.

Birthday Treat

For dessert, we would have gone for Tiramisu ($12) but as we were celebrating a birthday, the lucky girl (and the rest of us, snigger) got to partake in a lovely complimentary chunk of a tiramisu as the staff led us to embarr… , sorry, I mean to celebrate the name day of the birthday girl with two chorus of “Happy Birthday”! Great fun always.

All in all, it was a pleasant dinner with good food and drinks. And for all we ordered, it came to about $26 person (not including birthday person) which is quite decent. A good place to come to if you really like well-baked pizzas with yummy toppings. And not forgetting, its outdoor seating is pet-friendly.

Extra Virgin Pizza is at One Holland Village, 7 Holland Village Way #01-03/04/05, Singapore 275748. T: +65 6263 9170. Opening hours: 11.30am-10pm daily.

For our annual Singapore Night Festival walk in August, my GBB gang of four decided to start from Waterloo Street this year and walk towards Singapore Museum/City Hall instead of vice versa. So where can we eat before we embark on our “enlighten” jaunt?

One bright spark suggested Tipo Pizzeria at Stamford Arts Centre and great idea it was too as there were a few Night Fest displays located in and outside the Waterloo Street building such as the cool “fishing boat” pictured above.

It seems there are a few Tipo restaurants in town, each specializing in either pasta, gnocchi or–like the one we went to–pizza. The halal-certified Tipo Pizzeria e Trattoria takes up a corner of the Stamford Arts Centre and its interiors, though a tad dark, is spacious and pleasantly decorated.

The not-very-extensive but straightforward menu comprises starters such as Truffle Fries and Phat Wings ($6-$24), a few mains including Roast Chicken and Poached Salmon ($23-$38), pastas ($23-$28), and desserts ($12-$15). Non-alcoholic beverages include coffee ($3.50-$7), tea ($7-$8) and mocktails ($8-$12).

But as its name suggests, the key items at Tipo Pizzeria are pizzas and there is a whole page devoted to its House Pizzas ($23-$34) comprising vegetarian, seafood and meat variations, including a “Build Your Own Pizza” section where you can choose your preferred crust, sauces and toppings (from $20++).

We kicked off with drinks and I had the Berry Lime Mocktail ($12) which was decent, although I found my friend’s Strawberry Basil Mocktail much sweeter and a better thirst quencher.

Our first starter was the Tomato Bruschetta ($12) which is foccacia topped with roasted cherry tomatoes and whipped feta. Guessed we are used to bruschetta that are more bite-sized but once you cut this version to the size you want, it is actually quite delicious and the bread was crispy and tasty.

Next we have the Calamari ($21) which is Togarashi calamari with lime aioli. It wasn’t bad but not exactly a dish to wow about either.

The main course was definitely more enticing. The Braised Lamb Shank ($38) came with peas and mushrooms ragu topped with mint, hazelnuts and golden raisins gremolata. It smelt good, meat was tender and tasty, and the gravy was just lovely. An all-round great dish.

The highlight though is of course one of Tipo Pizzeria’s house pizzas. We had the Truffle Shuffle ($34), one of its vegetarian choices, which is an oven-baked pizza with creamy truffle sauce topped with sautéed chestnut mushrooms topped with (a huge ball of) burrata, almonds and truffle. The pizza was seriously very good, every bite a flavorful joy.

All in all, Tipo Pizzeria is a nice place for hanging out especially if you and your homies are into well-made pizzas. Four of us shared the dishes and each paid between $35-$45++ (depending if you have a drink or not.) Definitely would like to try their other pizzas and or other outlets next time.