Tasty Pizza Sandwiches By Ex-Grand Hyatt Chef Who Runs Kitchen In Tampines

He first cut his teeth at his brother’s pizza shop in Rome – which sold square-cut slices of pizza by weight (also known as Pizza al Taglio) – more than two decades ago. Thereafter, the chef moved from one pizza kitchen to the next. “I worked at another popular eatery in Rome – we sold around 400 pizzas a day sometimes.” Eventually, he spent some time at kitchens in New York City and London before landing in Singapore. In 2018, after a year at family-friendly Italian restaurant Pete’s Place at the Grand Hyatt, Daniele decided to strike it out on his own. Daniele’s Pizza restaurant was born in The British Club, an exclusive members’ club in Bukit Timah. “I was good at making pizza, but I didn’t have much training for business. [Daniele’s Pizza at The British Club] was a joint venture, it was a great learning experience.”

He recently closed his restaurant at the members’ club after three years. “The location was for members’ only. I wanted more. I wanted to expand the brand, so I decided to leave,” he says.

Daniele’s Pizza opened on June 1 within Tampines Food Co, a shared kitchen facility that’s centered around food for takeaway or delivery. “There’s a cosy dining area for around 50 people that we share with other kitchens, though you’ll have to eat [your food] out of a box,” Daniele adds. “It’s not as expensive as opening a restaurant outside. But it’s a first step to making the brand known.”

This time, the venture is fully owned by Daniele himself – he mans the kitchen, along with another hired chef. Daniele has had to make some adjustments compared to his days in hotel kitchens – for example, he now uses an electric oven, instead of gas or wood-fired. “We had to lengthen the baking time, and make sure the dough’s more hydrated [as compared to wood-fired ovens].” He also finds that pizzas cooked in an electric oven travel better than their woodfired kin.

In order to serve the food he wants, Daniele imports “most of the ingredients” from Italy, including 5 Stagioni Napoletana Flour and mozzarella from Latteria Sorrentina, a family-run dairy farm in Naples.

Photo: Tampines Food Co

Business, for a start, has been a little slow. “There’s no visibility [within a cloud kitchen]. That said, orders are slowly picking up,” he says. “In future, the plan is to expand through [other outlets in] the heartland. My next location would be [an eatery suited for dining-in],” he adds.

They’ve already begun to see a slowdown across the whole cloud kitchen in orders for delivery and takeaway since two pax were allowed to dine-in.

Daniele’s pizzas, despite his birthplace, aren’t exactly Roman-style pizzas, he says. He tells us that Roman-style pizzas differ based on shape – there’s a square-shaped option sold by weight (like in his brother’s shop), while their round pizzas boast ultra-thin crusts. Daniele’s are a little thicker, he shares. “We just serve classic Italian pizzas – well-fermented for 36 to 48 hours, and hand-stretched,” he says.

All the pizzas here measure 12-inches each and feed about two to three pax. You have an option of either getting them with a red tomato sauce base, or white base of mozzarella only – each with their own set of toppings both classic and non-traditional. Yes, they serve Hawaiian pizzas – they’re a “must-have” In Singapore, says Daniele, even though the chef himself has yet to accept the fruit on his own pizzas after more than a decade here.

Pizzini, or pizza sandwiches, are also on the table – think of them as calzones (folded pizzas that are sealed shut at the edges like a large curry puff before being baked), but messier, since they’re simply folded over after being baked rather than sealed shut before cooking. Other options include bites like arancini (deep-fried rice balls), meatballs and a rather hard-to-find spaghetti omelette - a dish originally conceived by Italian nonnas to repurpose leftover pasta - as well as a selection of pastas.

If you’re a fan of cheese on more cheese, try this. Fluffy shreds of Italian-imported burrata (soft strings of fresh mozzarella mixed with cream and sealed in an outer shell of mozzarella) sit with earthy porcini mushrooms on a mozzarella base. It doesn’t feel as cloying as a four-cheese pizza thanks to the lighter-tasting burrata, as well as juicy shrooms.

As for the crust, it’s got some ‘leopard spots’ but could do with a bit more. The rim’s reasonably puffy, and the rustic-tasting dough’s also a little denser than we’d like - though this might be ’cos of the journey from the cloud kitchen to home. Pop it in the oven so it crisps up a bit before eating.

A classic combo of rocket – known for its peppery, pleasantly bitter flavour – contrasted against the salty savouriness of Parma ham and parmesan cheese. However, it’s a tad soggy in the middle of this tomato sauce-smeared pie.

Daniele’s seven pizza sandwiches are pretty much what you’d get if you ordered a pizza, except folded over and sliced for easier eating. Here, the plain dough is par-baked first before being sprinkled with your filling of choice, then folded and baked once more to a crisp finish. This one is an herbaceous pairing of pesto, burrata, cherry tomato with briny anchovies. It’s salty, crusty and very moreish - not just for the combo of toppings, but ‘cos it’s also a little crunchier, probably since it’s baked twice. Delicious and we prefer this to the pizza.

Think of these as little calzones that’re deep-fried rather than baked. Here though, the popular Italian snack – stuffed with porcini mushrooms – is treated like pasta. It’s boiled and served in a cream sauce with Italian sausage.

The panzerotti - which are imported from Italy, have a velvety-rich mouthfeel that’s rather luxurious, though we’d advise sharing the dish unless you’re looking for an epic post-lunch slump.

Daniele’s Pizza is at Tampines Food Co, #01-05 JTC Space, 10 Tampines North Drive 4, S528553. Tel: 98552374. Open daily except Tues, 11am – 9pm. More info via Facebook or Instagram. Available for delivery via website or Deliveroo.

Photo: Daniele's Pizza​​​​​​​