Why The Pizza Bar on 38th in Tokyo has a 3-month waiting list, and why that won’t happen at its Hong Kong pop-up — it’s already sold out
- The Pizza Bar in the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo is considered one of the finest in Asia and normally has a three-month waiting list for a table
- A nine-course sampling of its coming omakase-style pop-up in Hong Kong shows what all the fuss is about: hot pizza slices and super fresh ingredients
Would you wait three months for a pizza? That is how long it normally takes to get a reservation at The Pizza Bar on 38th at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, considered one of the finest pizzerias in Asia.
The concept has taken over the private rooms at Amber, in the Landmark Mandarin hotel in Central, Hong Kong, as a 12-seat pop-up until January 28. But by the time you read this, it’s already too late: reservations were sold out within a week of the announcement.
What makes the pizza at The Pizza Bar so special and coveted is the dough: made with a ratio of 80 per cent water to 20 per cent flour, it is fermented for two days, resulting in a crisp and airy baked crust that is then topped with high-quality seasonal ingredients.
“A chef that cooks with love, using high-quality ingredients with grace, generosity and the proper equipment makes the perfect pizza,” says Daniele Cason, the executive chef of The Pizza Bar on 38th.
As Chua Lam, judge of Fuji TV’s series Iron Chef and renowned Hong Kong food critic, once said, freshness is paramount to Japanese cuisine, and Cason is able to combine this culinary attitude with the techniques of Italian pizza making.