BJ Pizza Wars VII: Alla Osteria vs Cornerstone

Tom O’Malley | Oct 17, 2011 2:00 pm | Add a comment | 1672 reads

Mama mia! No, that was a few months back at Century Theatre. But … Mama mia! We’ve got an all-Italian battle in today’s Pizza Wars. Just like Rocky Marciano versus, err, Mussolini. Alla Osteria (avuncular Italian boss) going slice to slice with the close-by Cornerstone (some obtuse Italian connection that I've forgotten). Today we will put their finest pizza alla diavola to the test. In this eater’s opinion, diavola (spicy salami) is the perfect pizza topping - the smoky, oily, flavor-packed bite should provide an extra layer of unctuous flavor that a mere piece of ham or worse – chicken – simply can’t achieve. For those that are about to be baked in a hot oven then eaten alive ... we salute you.

In the red corner: Diavola pizza, Alla Osteria, RMB 68

Style Neapolitan, of course. An Italian classic – beautiful clean lines, Ferrari-red tomato sauce,just a bit pale and pallid.

Crust Leopard spotting on base? Puffy, ever-so-crackly outer crust? Balance of floury, bready texture with firmness? All boxes checked. Very good indeed – I just feel – and you might too by judging the photo– this pizza needed 45 seconds to a minute longer in the oven.

Cheese 'n sauce Tomato sauce is great – fresh, pounded tomatoes with the taste of the Med – or maybe it’s because I’m sitting outside on Alla Osteria’s terrace with the sun glowing from a clear sky? Mozzarella is suitably neutral with a good coverage.

Toppings A very unlucky 13 slices of thin (and I mean about one molecule in height) salami, spicy but not very smoky. Too thin and sparse to impart much oily, unctuous goodness, so request some chilli-infused olive oil (they have a nice one).

Satisfaction?
A handsome feed for one person. Flavor-wise the pie could have used some extra oily element to it and another minute in the oven. Despite the name, there’s nothing devilish about it, but for this town, it’s a very accomplished pizza.

Morning after Not all that, but quality of ingredients rescues it.

Next...

In the blue corner: Diavola pizza, Cornerstone, RMB 69

Style Another Neapolitan, and this gets everything right aesthetically - wooden board, sheet of greaseproof paper AND a cake / pizza slice thingy. Symmetric toppings suggests kitchen autism - probably the best looking pizza yet.

Crust Delicious, thin and crisp - but just a little too flat. A great dough should have more air and puff about it. Still, not bad at all.

Cheese n sauceWell, just sauce. This pizza is seriously skimpy on the cheese, which means that the spicy tomato sauce - which has an unappealing taste of supermaket bought ragu with added chilli, totally dominates the flavor. A miss.

Toppings Very thin cut, tasty pepperoni, a few olive slices and some sliced red onion. A bit too generous on the dried oregano.

Satisfaction? The absence of cheese coupled with the domineering ragu sauce unfortunately puts a big dent in the satisfaction factor on this one. Close, but no cigar

Morning after Crust holds up very well. Tomato sauce doesn't.

---

The big difference here is authenticity. Alla Osteria is overseen by someone who knows exactly how an Italian pizza should taste. Cornerstone isn't. But don't write it off. Their pizzas are made with care and taste pretty good, but they fall short on a few important points. Sauce and cheese, unfortunately. If you're seeking authentic Italian pizza, Alla Osteria deserves your attention.

Verdict? Alla Osteria for authenticity.

Stay tuned Mondays and Thursdays at 2pm for more head-to-head Pizza Wars battles. In the mean time, take a gander at our first six matchups:

Episode VI: Scott's Family Restaurant v Nasca
Episode V: Vineyard Cafe v Alba
Episode IV: Tavola v Pizza by LMPlus
Episode III: The Den v Pizza Buona
Episode II: Eatalia v Pyro Pizza
Episode I: Hutong Pizza v Pass-by Bar