Ramo Celebrates a Year of Roman Goodness in Fangjia Hutong

With the Launch Party behind us and voting in the 2015 Pizza Cup set to begin Sunday (Oct 25), we continue our Pizza Profile series introducing some of Beijing's best pies. Today we talk to Paca, general manager of Fangjia Hutong's Ramo, which celebrates its first anniversary with a party today (Oct 24) beginning at 3pm.

How long have you plied the trade?
It will be our first anniversary this weekend. Before that I was the owner of The Box, a burger restaurant, for several years.

What's your style/pizza philosophy?
Italian pizza with a twist of the modern Beijing hutong culture. I live in these hutongs, right around the corner from here. I used to walk by this place every day on my way home from The Box.

I thought about how many bars are in this hutong, but there’s mostly only Chinese restaurants nearby, nowhere to get a simple snack. So I decided to sell pizza by the slice, so that people can stop by after they’ve had a few drinks.

I designed the interior myself. You can see this is not a fancy place, people come here to chill and relax, have a drink get a slice of pizza after they’ve had drinks elsewhere, or maybe just see friends, for lunch time or brunch, anytime.

In a market crowded with over 100 different pizza shops, what do you do to stand out?
Our pizza is original and reasonably priced. We also have a space that is comfortable, with a fun, friendly vibe. There’s another pizza restaurant right around the corner, but it’s very Chinese -- they put mayonnaise all over the pizza. Their customers wouldn’t eat here, and mine wouldn't’ eat there. A lot of my Chinese customers have been abroad, and they know good pizza. Most of them come on weekends for lunch with their kids, and are gone pretty quickly. Then by 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays, I get lots of foreigners who were out the night before and need a hangover cure. Or I’ll often get many of those customers in the evening, on their way home from the bar.

What would you say your style is?
Roman style. It’s different from American style, because it keeps the pizza simple and healthy. When I first opened Ramo, I didn’t know how to make pizza. I’m a good cook, and have made burgers and Chinese food for my friends and family for years before I worked at The Box. All I knew was that I’d been to many pizza places, and knew what good pizza tastes like. A friend introduced me to a friend of his named Yibu, an Italian chef working in Beijing, and he spent three months here training me, then my staff. His brother has a pizza restaurant back in Italy, where he worked for more than five years, so he really helped me to start my kitchen. So I’ve named a pizza after him, called the Super Yibu, which has blue cheese, salami and sausage.

Thick vs Thin: What's your take?
Thin. It’s kind of Italian, customers told me it’s really easy to digest. I like pizza but i’m a girl, and lots of my friends also say ‘I cant’ eat this.’ I don’t want huge, thick American pizza with lots of toppings, it may taste good but you won’t feel good about yourself afterward. The dough here is simple and delicious, and the toppings are fresh and healthy.

What's the secret to your sauce?
We make our sauce every morning with a mix of canned and fresh peeled tomatoes, which together balance the sourness. It’s purely handmade, which makes a big difference.

What kind(s) of cheese do you use and why?
Mozzarella from Australia,cos it's gooooood. I also use blue cheese on a lot of the pizzas. I am a meat lover and so is Yibu, and he showed me how using a bit of blue cheese can really bring out the meat’s flavor.

Will you be offering any specials during the Pizza Cup?
We have a pizza party deal every Wednesday: buy one whole pizza, get a whole one free (on select pizzass). Today (Oct 24) at 5pm, we’ll have a pizza eating contest to celebrate our one-year anniversary. There’s be free flow pizza from 4-6pm too. We’ll also have some special discounts for Movember, and other pizza parties and events in the future.

Tell us about your standard pizza
Name: Margherita
Thick or thin crust? Thin
Type of sauce? Tomato
Type of cheese? Mozzarella
What other things make it special? Lots of imported olive oil and fresh basil
What sizes does it come in? RMB 58 for a whole 12 inch and RMB 18 for one slice (which is 1/4 of a whole pizza)

Tell us about your most unique pizza
Name: Parma ham
Thick or thin crust? Thin
Type of sauce: Tomato
Type(s) of cheese: Mozzarella
Additional toppings: Rocket salad with fresh baby tomato, and Italy imported Parma ham
What sizes does it come in? RMB 58 for a whole 12 inch and RMB 18 for one slice (which is 1/4 of a whole pizza)

Hungry for more? Check out pizza specials around town and compare and contrast some of Beijing's best pizzas in our ongoing Pizza Profiles series.

Images: Kyle Mullin