Antonio Miscellaneo, 46, bristles with nervous energy. The swarthy Italian is bustling nonstop about his condo loft-cum-private diner in Joo Chiat. The setup is unique to say the least: a tasteful stone dining table with elegant floral napkins and glassware juxtaposed against a no-frills plastic table. The latter the kind of portable stand you break out to play blackjack on during Chinese New Year gatherings. But here’s where much of the action happens — where Antonio ‘performs’ for his guests. On it, he gingerly shapes the dough for his signature Neapolitan pizza.
He uses his fingers to gently nudge the shiny, soft lump into a neat disc. At one point, the dough looks as if it’s about to tear — but it’s pliable and sturdy enough that it doesn’t. He dresses it with tomatoes, cheese, drizzles it with olive oil and carefully slides it into the oven. The process is tricky; the pie is so fragile that at one point, refuses to budge from the paddle to his hulking Italy-imported pizza oven that barely fits within the apartment's narrow balcony. “This dough is too wet,” frets Antonio, though he manages to shove it in on his second attempt.
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1/331/33From his home, to your stomach -
2/332/33Ex-food blogger, video game programmer, bag designer + serious home cook -
3/333/33Stylo-mylo carriers -
4/334/33Antonio's bags at Metro Paragon -
5/335/33He started his makan journey as a food blogger 10 years ago -
6/336/33Sony video game programmer & software developer at Credit Suisse -
7/337/33Speaking of cooking… -
8/338/33Kitchen confidential -
9/339/33He started seriously making pizzas nine years ago -
10/3310/33Just dough it -
11/3311/33That crazy big pizza oven weighs over 200kg -
12/3312/33The menu -
13/3313/33View from the dining room -
14/3314/33What is Neapolitan-style pizza? -
15/3315/33This style of pizza is a fave among serious foodies -
16/3316/33Antonio first tasted Neapolitan pizza in... London -
17/3317/33Think of Casa Nostra as a home-based Neapolitan pizza parlour -
18/3318/33Burrata E Ciliegini Pizza -
19/3319/33Keep it simple, silly -
20/3320/33Parma E Rucola Pizza (8 DAYS Pick!) -
21/3321/33Ham it up -
22/3322/33Spaghetti Alla Chittara Con Ragu Rosso Alla Salsiccia (8 DAYS Pick!) -
23/3323/33While my guitar gently weeps -
24/3324/33Beautiful handmade spaghetti -
25/3325/33Spaghetti Alla Bottarga -
26/3326/33What is bottarga? -
27/3327/33Secret ingredient -
28/3328/33Polpo Alla Griglia -
29/3329/33Osso Buco (8 DAYS Pick!) -
30/3330/33Is that dental floss? -
31/3331/33Pistachio Gelato (8 DAYS Pick!) -
32/3332/33Sweet ending -
33/3333/33Verdict