Pizza View's Roman-Style Pizza by the Slice Stands up to the Competition

Robynne Tindall, Contributing Editor | Dec 21, 2015 9:00 am | Add a comment | 1872 reads

It could be argued that Beijing doesn’t really need any more pizza (then again, the people arguing that could be crazy). The more than 150 restaurants serving some kind of pizza we find during the Pizza Cup every year would certainly corroborate that argument. What Beijing does need, however, is good quality pizza that tries to do something different from the hundreds of other pies on the market.

Enter Pizza View. Operated by Chef Marino D’Antonio and the Opera Bombana team, Pizza View specializes in Roman-style deli pizza, the kind D’Antonio says people would grab on the go for a quick street snack. Continuing in this vein, the pizzas at Pizza View are sold by the slice – select a variety from behind the counter and the chefs will slide your slice into the oven to be served up moments later.

In case you’re worried that pizza by the slice isn’t really enough for a meal, be assured that these slices are full-on, hand spac-sized monsters. The crust too is substantial, the Roman-style being thicker and crisper than, say, Neapolitan-style pizza, and with a strong taste of olive oil. The dough for the crust, made with the same imported flour that makes the bread at Opera Bombana so memorable and a decade old “mother” yeast starter, is lovingly fermented for more than 30 hours. The crust stands up well to the plentiful toppings, for example the cooked ham, artichokes, mozzarella, and mushrooms in the Capricciosa (RMB 48 per slice), although we prefer the sparser Diavola, topped with spicy salami and a handful of arugula.

The pizzas are also available in 12-inch pies for bigger groups, of which the quattro formaggi (RMB 128) is a revelation, lent an appealing farmyard funkiness by taleggio and gorgonzola. If you’re not full after that, Pizza View also has a selection of salads and panini sandwiches, as well as a gelato bar serving ice cream homemade from imported ingredients. Not only a great option for a quick and affordable lunch in Parkview Green, but a solid addition to the Beijing restaurant scene overall.