Not that we haven’t been getting a pizza of the action. Fast-food pizzas are sprouting all over town faster than you can say mozzarella. And now, Pinoys brace themselves for a British invasion via Pizza Express. Oh, no, not another pizza house!
Tell that to Peter Boizot, the man behind Pizza Express, and he’ll surely give you a pizza of his mind. A salesman doing business in Italy, Boizot had his first taste of Italian pizza one lunchtime in 1948. It was love at first bite. He just couldn’t have enough of it and decided to bring a slice of Italy back home to England. Back then, London didn’t have a single authentic Italian pizzeria. So he bought a defunct company called Pizza Express and brought in some Italians from Napoli and a special pizza oven from Rome. Pizza Express opened on March 29, 1965 in London’s Soho district. Soon, its name was on everyone’s lips! The restaurant bible Zagat London gives this mouthful of a review about Pizza Express, "For an enjoyable night out, this chain has few rivals."
"Our pizza is real, freshly made Italian pizza, cooked Neapolitan (thin-crust) style using authentic ingredients," says Ana Boricic, Pizza Express (Franchises) Ltd franchise consultant. "Our tomato sauce is especially made for Pizza Express. Our oven is made-to-order in Sweden and gives nicely cooked pizzas. And we use special, imported plates that do not trap the steam underneath the pizza so you don’t get soggy pizza. What you get is fresh pizza that’s light and crispy."
All light, all right! Sharing a passion for good food, pretzel guy Dean Dayao of Auntie Anne’s, Estelle Ortiz, Manny Ticzon, and Melo Ortiz thought it would be a delicious idea to bring Pizza Express to the Philippines.
"We went to the UK and met with the Pizza Express principals there," says Dean. "We liked the concept; tasted the food and we loved it!"
"We’ve been cooking this up since 1999," says Melo. "We were very careful about our pricing – it should be affordable. We were the first to be awarded a place at Greenbelt 3, but we were the last to open. The reason was the people from Pizza Express UK couldn’t come to train our people because of the travel advisory then. In terms of space, we also got the biggest slice – 282 sq. m. with a seating capacity of 160 on the ground and mezzanine floors with additional outdoor seating."
Pizza Express Greenbelt looks just like any other Pizza Express outlet anywhere in the world (France, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Malta, Cyprus, Greece, the Middle East, India, Tokyo, and Hong Kong).
"Except perhaps for the fact that our local outlet uses Vigan tiles for flooring and narra for bar sidings," Melo gingerly points out. "But the frontage is the same. Everything was done according to the signature Pizza Express interiors of Matthew Seawell: The vermillion columns, the blue vases, the cutlery, all the tables which have spotlights on the vases, and the glass counter which looks like a halo-halo station. Every single detail of this outlet has been approved by the mother company."
The Philippines is only the third outlet of Pizza Express in Asia, aside from Tokyo and Hong Kong. It’s got 45 restaurants all over the world.
Certainly, the quality of the pizza offerings is the same for all the outlets, from HK to UK. For one thing, only one kind of tomato sauce is used and it’s imported by Pizza Express from Italy. For another, pizzas are freshly made as you order.
"They’re very particular about quality," says Melo. "The quality of the food as well as the service."
So particular that Pizza Express UK sent a whole crew to help their Pinoy partners open the first Pizza Express in the country. International chef trainer Jagdish Singh Sole came to train the Filipinos in the Pizza Express kitchen on food quality and safety, among other things. Before Manila, he was in Jeddah to train Pizza Express pizzamakers there. Jag himself was trained in Italy where he learned how to bake "real good pizzas."
The secret to a perfect pizza?
"It should come from the heart," comes Jag’s hearty reply. "Making pizza is an art. I don’t work for the money. I just love making pizzas!"
Once more, with more passion: Give pizza a chance.
"Pizza is treated and labeled as fast food, but I think that’s wrong and we’re trying to change that," says Ana who confesses that she never tires of eating pizza every day. "We’re also trying to educate the public to develop a taste for salad and pasta."
At Pizza Express, your salad days are here again with house bestsellers like Chicken Caesar Salad with anchovies and shaved parmesan, and Mozzarella & Tomato Salad with olives and sun-dried tomato, served with baked dough balls. And please pass the pasta, too: Choices include Lasagne al Salmone (salmon, bechamel, dill), Melanzane Parmigiana (baked aubergine, garlic, parmesan, mozzarella, tomato), Lasagne Pasticciate (bechamel, cheese, bolognese sauce, parmesan, tomato), cannelloni (rolls of pasta filled with ricotta, spinach, parmesan, tomato), Ham & Eggs PizzaExpress (two eggs, ham, mushrooms, tomato, served with baked dough balls).
So what are the pizza offerings of Pizza Express Greenbelt?
For now, there are 20 pizza variations available. Top favorites are Margherita (mozzarella, tomato), Napoletana (capers, anchovies, olives, mozzarella, tomato), Quattro Formaggi (four cheeses, tomato), Capricciosa (ham, red peppers, anchovies, boiled egg, capers, olives, mozzarella, tomato), Salmone Affumicato (smoked salmon, dill, mascarpone, mozzarella, tomato), Caprina (sun-dried tomato, goat’s cheese, mozzarella, tomato), and Prince Carlo (parmesan, leeks, rosemary, mozzarella, tomato). Vegetarians will surely find the pizza selection at Pizza Express real meaty!
"It’s healthy pizza fare, everything is oven-baked; nothing is greasy," says the health freak Ana.
The mother company gives its franchises the freedom to create their own unique pizzas. For instance, Tokyo has its sashimi pizza while Hong Kong has Peking duck pizza. So don’t be surprised if one day you find a dried fish flakes pizza on the menu of Pizza Express Greenbelt.
"After the pizza, you should try our hot chocolate fudge cake with ice cream," Jag teases us. "It’s very, very good!"
The cheesecake is sooo good, too! "We want to be known as not just a pizza place," says Melo, flashing a sweet smile.
Soon, to go with your pizza at Pizza Express is live jazz music. "The Pizza Express in London is also famous for its jazz club," says Melo. "So it’s going to be a good dating place as well – a couple can share a pizza with a bottle of wine while listening to some music."
Pizza be with you!