The Deep Dish: Whale Well's Adorable Pizza Inspirations

As online voting continues for the 2017 Pizza Cup, The Deep Dish will be previewing a few of the restaurants vying for the title of Beijing's most beloved pie. So take a look, grab a slice, and pick the team you want to be victorious.

Is Whale Well vying for the title of Beijing's craziest pizza? You be the judge. Their newest dessert pizza, for instance, has creamy custard and shredded coconut. And, of course, the restaurant first made a name for itself by serving pies topped with durian, pig ear, Xinjiang Lamb, and Cantonese Sausage.

While such options might seems strange for foreigners raised on pepperoni or Napoli-style pies, Whale Well founder Gabrielle Chau says Chinese customers appreciate pizzas that take their sensibilities into consideration. Back when the restaurant vied for the 2015 Pizza Cup prize, Chau explained to the Beijinger that "I don't like traditional Italian or American Pizza – there are too many toppings that I have to pick out before I eat. This is quite common among Chinese people. So gradually, I began to think: 'What if we just make our own Chinese-style pizza? No olives, no strange fragrances, no artichokes ... and instead used common Chinese condiments?'" I thought about how Chinese cuisine is broad and profound. And I thought mixing that with pizza would be perfect, and something new."

Her pizzas are even offbeat when it comes to their sizes, especially the "baby size" (ranging from RMB 28-38 depending on the pie), cartoon size (RMB 78-98), along with the more standard 9-inch (RMB 58-88), 12-inch (RMB 68-128) and 16-inch (RMB 128-168). The fittingly named cartoon pizzas are cut into the shapes of Big Hero 6 and other animated favorites. Chau tells us this year, especially at this weekend's 2017 Pizza Cup, that the kid-friendly options are due to Whale Well's "focus on children and family as our target customers. So we try to be as cute and funny as possible to attract the boyish heart, including innovative shapes and flavors."

She goes on to call the new coconut custard dessert pizza "very cute" and well suited for parents and little ones that visit the Tongzhou restaurant. However, any of us in touch with our inner child can appreciate the imagination and passion that Chau brings to her pies, making them some of the most unique in Beijing. 

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @MulKyle 

Photos: Whale Well, Kyle Mullin