Finally got to try Pizza Club, the idiosyncratic “restaurant” run by Massimo and Tracy. Heard quite a bit about it, and Massimo raised the stakes by informing me on the site that he makes the real thing, after I had written the following on at Channel 24.
“It’s time to return to pizza, but not the cheesy, white-bready facsimile they are trying to force down our gullets. It’s time to fight for some real pizza: wood-fired with a few charred edges, thin, but not like a matzo, layered with a couple of choice ingredients that you can actually taste, that actually resemble fresh items. Light and crunchy, with an explosive flavour – this is what we need to demand. No more of those limp, cheese-drenched sags of carbohydrate that genetically actually belong in the cardboard box you take them home in. Recently, the owner of a well-known pizza joint on the Garden Route stated: “It’s pizza. How can you mess that up?” Well, where to begin? Undercooked bases? Mozzarella from plastic cows? Stale herbs that leave an acrid taste in your mouth? And that’s not even to start being a snob about what should go on top of a pizza.
But since you asked, I prefer my pizza to have two or three toppings and love the holy trinity of tomato, mozzarella and basil. I also know that the pizza started life as a humble bread to carry left-overs to your mouth in the form of a quick snack. So there’s no real value in being pedantic about what should grace the disc, the pizza is the original democratic food. So bring your pineapple, your curried chicken and figs. But ask yourself: does pineapple really taste good with mince? Does banana really find its natural home with anchovy? Does everything need to be piled on and can you really taste all the component parts?
You see, I think we have allowed pizza to become crap by forgetting the taste of things. When you strip the pizza down a bit, you begin to taste the ingredients better. And when you realise they actually taste pretty much like nothing, you’re likely to complain. You’ll realise what a killing so many places are making by serving you a piece of stale pastry with the kind of cheese you probably wouldn’t select from a supermarket shelf. Once we taste again, pizza will get better, and reveal itself as the object of beauty and flavour it can be.
So this shout out goes to Percy Mosedie at Lapa Fo’ who takes his fantastic pizzas and throws the rainbow nation of ingredients onto them to please us, but thankfully still offers classics to remind us of what’s timeless. Lapa Fo’, Emmarentia. 011 486 2651.”
To which shout out I am now happy to add Pizza Club. First off, the space is a casual deli by day and turns into the Club Wed through Sat nights. It is a hard-working and plain space, so don’t expect your typical pizzeria: wooden tables and chairs (communal seating is the norm), very ad hoc decor… in other words rough and ready, but filled with vibrant energy and a very warm welcome from the always on-hand owners.
The concept is unusual – you can order from the menu but are encouraged to strap in for the “pizza feast” (around R90) where a series of boards are brought to you, from pizza bianco to margherita and onwards to the richer variations and quite a few nouveau creations. This is the way to do it, ideal for carefree eating stretched out over a bit of time. The wine list is decent too. After a slightly undercooked start to the bianco, the quality of the pizza was very good indeed. When we commented that we found our first to be a little soft and underdone, he suggested that the local clientele preferred this, while he also preferred the crust crispier. I wonder if this is the effect on the consumer of so many years of poor pizza from franchises? To finish, the tiramisu was average, while ice creams are good, in a gelato style. Coffee was, sadly, poor and did no justice to Massimo’s fantastic limoncello, probably the best in town.
Advanced bookings are encouraged, they have two sittings, one at 6pm, ideal for families with small kids, and another at 8pm. Massimo’s Pizza Club @ Scarecrows, Oakhurst Farm Park, Main Road, Hout Bay. Wednesday to Saturday. Call 073 3901373 or 021 7907906. They also now do take-away.
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4 Comments
I’m going to the Pizza Club with Slow Food on Friday, looking forward to that!
A most enjoyable dinner. We started with some chestnuts, something I don’t think I’ve ever tried before. Then we had a starter of potato and onion with anchovy puree, very tasty.
The pizzas were excellent, a departure from the tomato puree and cheese standard we are used to and a return to focussing on the fresh ingredients.
I’d recommend a visit.
Visited Pizza Club last night and am happy to say that these were undoubtedly the best pizzas I have ever had in South Africa. Very akin to genuine Italian pizzas. I was very jealous of my partner who ordered the plain margarita, which was exactly what a margarita would be. Always a good test of a pizzeria, the margarita. Finished the meal off with the lemony-est limoncello I have ever tasted, home made by Tracey, who also served us throughout. Will definitely return.
Just a reminder to all our loyal clients that we will be moving location soon.
Our last day of trading at our current location (Scarecrows) is Saturday 29 May.
We will soon announce our new site, to open in Spring.
..and, we are now proudly serving Lavazza coffee and the whole range of &Union beers!