Best Food In China

Location

If one is craving pizza, than go to Pizza Hut, but if one appreciates pizza than go to La Pizza.
Chef Giuseppe De Stefano definitely owns the place. A very relaxed, hefty Italian, he chats with customers in English and Italian and prepares the cuisine himself. When he speaks, one can feel the pride and passion in his tone for his food. Napoli has come to Beijing. In the form of the famous wood oven, Chef Stefano has brought with him the traditions of his people and a few extra Italian products along too.

Everything is imported from Italy! From the olive oil to the herbs to the vegetables to the salami to the spaghetti to the flour to the coffee, everything is from Italy. Whatever is on the menu will consist of fresh Napoli products.

With 30 years of cooking experience, starting when he was just 7 years old, which he proudly boasts while points to his rotund stomach, Chef Stefano does not skimp on quality ingredients. He won’t even change his Napoli recipes to cater to the locals. Yes, he has a Beijing pizza with bbq sauce, but she shakes his head in remorse over it and whispers that this is meant for the local Chinese only.

Instead he points towards the Napoli pizzas. The Tronchetto, 110rmb, is Napoli. Made with prosciutto, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, tomatoes, and rucola, it is over 2 inches thick and shaped like a cross between a roll and calzone. It is true basic Napoli ingredients, and the ham and cheese shine through with glory. Even the olive oil is distinct and unmistakable, and added at the last moment to leave a rich olive taste.

The Queen Napoli is a thin round pizza. With a soft base and lightly topped with mozzarella, sausage and Roma tomatoes, the cheese is stringy and pleasing. A strong note though, society today is conditioned on marketed commercialized pizza. La Pizza is not Papa John’s or Pizza Hut. This is authentic traditional Napoli pizza, which means the pizza is focused on the dough and cheese with a preference for a light sprinkling of toppings. In Napoli, the toppings are not evenly places either, but that is Napoli. In addition, Napoli pizza does not rely on tomato sauce. Theirs’ are rare on tomato sauce and rely on the dough and cheese and olive oil. This is necessary to understand when coming to La Pizza. One cannot expect tomato sauce bases or loads of toppings. The pizza will not be greasy or heavy.

Also, it is mandatory in Napoli to have a nice table wine with the pizza. A Montepulciano Fabruzzo red 2007, 90rmb, is a nice blend of sweet and dry, and the berry flavors blend favorably with the spaghettis and pizzas.

La Pizza serves 5 types of desserts, all of which are homemade as well. The chocolate-almond Caprez cake has a punch of both chocolate and almond that intensify two-fold, and is a very indicative dessert of the tradition. The Tiramisu has a full-bodied coffee flavor, but is spongy and not as moist is a traditional tiramisu. The two cheese cakes are both light and sugar filled, and agreeable but are also not traditional cheese cakes in texture or taste. The Profittero will be a chocolate lovers dream. A puff pastry with chocolate cracked icing and filled with liquid milk chocolate than pours out when bitten. It was luscious and silky. A lemon cello shot, a traditional Italian sweet drink, is best with these desserts.

La Pizza is a place to come for authentic Napoli tradition. Though the restaurant does not feel like an Italian trattoria, more like an Italian Diaspora restaurant, it does have a sloth Napolitano atmosphere with wicker chairs and beige marble tables and large windows. It is entertaining for people watching, family meals, and charming café dates. The ambiance itself is enough to come back for. Of course, in true Napoli life style, the hours are 10:15-2:30, with a break for a snooze from 3-5. Dinner begins at 5:30 and lasts till 10:30.

Everyone knows pizza is pizza, and can be found anywhere, but at La Pizza, one gets imported fresh ingredients and an Italian chef. Therefore, for those still unsure: If one is craving pizza, than go to Pizza Hut, but if one appreciates pizza than go to La Pizza.

-- by Larissa Paschyn

photos: 

photos: 

photos: