Pizza Love

My earliest memory of pizza was when I was in Secondary School and guys were using Pizza as a...err...toasting tool. Lol. Do you pips remember, when guys would bring pizza to the babe they liked or were toasting in secondary school? And if “liver gree dem”, they would take it to the girls house trembling in fear of the babe’s father or big brothers? Then, as things progressed, they would even take the babe out for some for some....yup, you got it, Pizza! Pizza love...LMAO!

Now the place that I remember as being a favourite was, you guessed it right, Double 4 Restaurant on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi. It was the pizza place of choice those days. I know y’all are trying to guess my age right?...yeah, try harder.  Anyway, I remember those days and it was fun!

Double 4 Pizza was as good as you could get in Lagos and it was pretty decent; but back then what did I really know about pizza?!

My first trip to Italy came a couple of years later and I have had the pleasure of going back there to visit Italy’s various cities. After recovering from my shopping expeditions, you would likely find me “recuperating” in a Pizzeria or Cafe, where I would be seating outside having a nice cup of cappuccino while taking in the view of gorgeous men walking on the streets. (Hmmmmm.....delicioussssss).

I also got to eat pizza...lots of it and in many cities but the pizza from Napoli was my very favourite. I don’t know what it was and cannot really explain it but there was just something “deep” about the pizza and it was not even the pan! (no pun intended). The pizza from Napoli were really huge (well so I thought until I finished it) and they just tasted divine...like a relaxing all-expenses-paid holiday, captured in dough and tomatoes, cheese, herbs and toppings – just joyful! Just thinking about it makes me crave for a slice so badly.

I went there with a friend of mine and we ordered a pizza with ham (I loooove any meat based pizza). They brought out this huge pizza made in a wood fired brick oven and using the freshest ingredients of course. The crust was nice and thin (no deep pans here – not in Napoli), covered in tomato sauce (made from fresh tomatoes and herbs) with melted puffs of mozzarella cheese bubbling away lightly on top, then generously layered with slices of fresh parma ham and finally finished with a nice drizzle of good quality olive oil. I picked up a slice and took a bite, felt my eyes closing while my mouth leaped up in excitement enjoying every single bite of the pizza and was totally oblivious of the juices that were running down my fingers. Simply said, it was absolutely delicious and was everything that I thought pizza should taste like. It was undoubtedly one of the best pizzas I had eaten! Of course, I end up comparing any pizza I eat to that one in Napoli.

Now recently, a friend of mine recommended a place in Lagos to my office for an after work event. The place is called Pizze-Riah but I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect but in the spirit of Grubaholic adventures I was excited at the prospect of somewhere new that  I could share with you. The things I do for the love of my blog (*sigh*).

Located on Musa Yar’Adua Street off Idowu Martins in Victoria Island, Lagos, the restaurant has a nice outdoor setting of cafe and lounge chairs. We sat outside and my friend ordered for us. They had an outdoor brick wood fired oven and you can see the pizza being made while you wait. He ordered several types of pizza which were all delicious but my favourite was the Alla Ricardo Pizza. It just took me right back to Napoli and had all the flavours I enjoyed in my Napolitano pizza. The crust of their pizza is nice and thin and holds all the favours of the fresh tomato sauce with the mozzarella cheese melting nicely away with generous slices of ham and little slices of green chiili for some heat (say yes, somebody!). When you take a bite of that pizza all the flavours just burst in your mouth and the crust just melts away then you get the slight heat of the chilli and you don’t notice the sauce as it drips on your hand while you munch away. Hehehehehehe. I literally fell in pizza love and of course my diet efforts went downhill that night...again, but joyfully this time.

I absolutely enjoyed their pizza and stick out my neck to say “It’s the best pizza I’ve had so far in Nigeria!”. But apart from pizza, Pizze-Riah also make nice chicken suya (grilled pieces of chicken coated in a dried spice blend) and they have a nice tomato and avocado salad with a red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing, which is nice and very refreshing.

 Shamefully, I was there the next day....well I took my friends from D’Crew there to try it out, it would have been selfish not to. Anyway, the verdict was the same, they all left oohing and aaahing about the deliciousness of the pizza but not without taking the menu of course. (grinning).

Unfortunately, they don’t deliver but good thing for me because I don’t think I can wait that long to get my pizza, I’m better off ordering it myself and taking it home. Well, if it gets home, I mean seriously, why waste a good hot pizza when you can eat it while it’s hot.

Yours in Pizza Love,

Grubaholic.