Pizza Express Brings 50 Years of UK Experience to Every Pie

Galaxy Soho is the place to be today as we kick off the Beijinger's 2015 Pizza Cup Launch Party, and to get your digestive juices flowing we are profiling some of the best pies in Beijing so that you, our faithful readers, can try as many as possible before we ask you to make your choice for the best. Today we talk to Caroline Zheng, marketing manager of Pizza Express, just one of the 18 vendors that will be selling their wares from 11am-8pm. Come on down!

How long have you plied the trade?    
Pizza Express was founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot, who opened the first restaurant in Soho, London. Today, Pizza Express has around 600 restaurants all over the world.

What's your style/pizza philosophy?  
Pizza in style.

In a market crowded with over 100 different pizza shops, what do you do to stand out?
ith 50 years of heritage, many things make us stand out. Pizza Express was founded after Peter Boizot returned from a trip to Italy and was dismayed that he was unable to find real Italian pizza anywhere in England. So he imported an oven from Italy and opened the first Pizza Express. During Peter’s travels in Italy, he loved to watch the pizzaiolos in Italian restaurants tossing the dough high in the air. These pizza chefs wore black and white striped shirts, which is why today you will find our kitchens are open, and center-stage. It’s also why our pizzaiolos wear stripy shirts. Stripes remind us of our origins. Plus, they also look good.

Like the Italians, Peter believed that a beautiful pizza has a thin and crispy base, topped with carefully selected, fresh ingredients. This allows the flavors of the ingredients to really be the hero. So that’s how he did it, and how we still do it today. The secret to the perfect pizza is in the dough, it has to be carefully hand-stretched and tossed in the air to ensure the right consistency. That’s why our pizzaiolos are our heroes. Each of them are trained for 12 weeks, learning how to toss and stretch the dough just so. Only then do they get to put on one of those stripy black and white shirts. We call it “earning your stripes.”

What would you say your style is?
We serve Italian pizza on Romana and Classic bases.

Thick vs. Thin: What's your take?
Absolutely thin for Romana. And even our classic pizza is very thin, much much thinner than American style

What's the secret to your sauce?  
Greci family of Italy has been making our tomato passata, which goes on every pizza base, since 1965. Using the sweetest San Marzano tomatoes, they are crushed within 12 hours of harvest and each tin is individually hand-finished with a basil leaf.

What kind(s) of cheese do you use and why?
We using many different type of importing cheese for different pizzas, such as mozzarella, pesto, and Parmesan.

Tell us about your standard pizza.
Its name: Margherita.
Thick or thin crust? Thin.
Type of sauce? Tomato.
Type(s) of cheese? Mozzarella.
What other things make it special?  It simply delivers the best flavor of all the ingredients, and is made with our classic pizza base.
How many sizes does it come in? The margherita is in our classic category, which costs RMB 72 for a 10-inch pizza.
 

Tell us about your most unique pizza.
Its name: Calabrese.
Thick or thin crust? Thin and crispy Romana crust.
Type of sauce: Tomato.
Type(s) of cheese: Baby mozzarella and Parmesan.
What other things make it special: Calabrese is our speciality pizza, inspired by the flavors of Calabria – a region in Italy. Pizzaiolos bake the pizza base, which is served with spicy Italian sausage and spicy soft sausage, with red chili, jalapeños, and red yellow peppers. Then it is finished with baby mozzarella, rocket, pesto, oregano, and parmesan.
How many sizes does it come in? 14-inch, which costs RMB 138.

Come sample slices from Pizza Express and 17 other pizza makers at our two-day pizza festival today and tomorrow at Galaxy Soho. For directions, click here.

Images: Pizza Express