The newest pizza outlet in town is on the Dicey Reilly’s
Terrace on Second Road. For those who are unsure of the location of Dicey
Reilly’s, it is part of the Marriott Resort and Spa and is underneath their
Garden Café.
Chef
Andrea Brunello
The new addition is called Forno’s and is the result of the expertise of
Italian chef Andrea Brunello, a third generation pizza chef! What also
distinguishes Andrea is that not only does he make the pizzas, he also makes
the pizza oven they are cooked in. Traditional pizza ovens are wood-fired
and chef Andrea builds his own, following the traditions instilled in him by
his forebears.
The history of pizzas is interesting, with origins dating back over
thousands of years. However, the Italians seem to have collared the market,
though many similar items based on the idea of covering flat pastry with
cheese, meat, vegetables and seasoning exist, such as the Alsatian
Flammkuchen, German Zwiebelkuchen, and even some types of French Quiche.
The best known pizzas outside of Italy are the Marinara and the Margherita.
The Marinara is the older of the two and has a topping of tomato, oregano,
garlic and olive oil. It was named “Marinara” because it was traditionally
the food prepared by “la Marinara”, the seaman’s wife, for her seafaring
husband when he returned from fishing trips in the Bay of Naples.
Andrea not only makes the
pizzas, he also makes the pizza oven they are cooked in.
The second, the Margherita, is one of legends and
involves Raffaele Esposito, who worked at “Pizzeria di Pietro,” established
in 1880, though recent research casts doubt on this legend. The tale holds
that, in 1889, he baked three different pizzas for the visit of King Umberto
I and Queen Margherita of Savoy. The Queen’s favorite was a pizza evoking
the colors of the Italian flag - green (basil leaves), white (mozzarella),
and red (tomatoes), and the pizza was then named after her.
There are many famous pizzerias in Naples where these traditional pizzas can
be found like Da Michele, Port’Alba, Brandi, Di Matteo, Sorbillo, Trianon
and Umberto (founded 1916). Most of them are in the ancient historical
center of Naples. These pizzerias will go even further than the specified
rules by, for example, only using San Marzano tomatoes grown on the slopes
of Mount Vesuvius and only drizzling the olive oil and adding tomato topping
in a clockwise direction. (That is probably taking it all a little too far,
I believe!)
As far as the debate goes on the style of pizza base,
those in Naples are soft and pliable, while in Rome they prefer a thin and
crispy base. (I’m with the Romans, and so is chef Andrea!)
At this time of year, the Dicey Reilly’s Terrace is the ideal spot for
dining al fresco, and was where the official introduction to Forno’s took
place. Undoubtedly you could also eat your pizza indoors, but the outdoors
terrace was my choice.
You have probably seen a pizza menu with a couple of dozen different ones.
Chef Andrea offers you more than 70 (though I could only count 69)! Chef
Andrea knows his Italian motoring marques with a Maserati pizza, Ferrari,
Lamborghini (tomato, mozzarella, gorgonzola, pepper, bacon and truffle
paste), Bugatti, Lambretta and Vespa. Other interesting names included an
Ivan the Terrible (tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms, spicy salami and ham) and
a Popeye featuring spinach, naturally.
The prices are mainly between B. 300 and 400, though some of the very
specials can go as high as B. 850, including one called The Kremlin (good
one to attract the Russian tourists) with tomato, mozzarella, lamb, goat
cheese and zucchini.
I spoke with Director of Operations Matt Fryar, and he waxed lyrical over
the Brie and Zucchini pizza. We liked at least four different ones and are
determined to sample the Explosion of Cheese pizza featuring seven different
cheeses next time.
If you are a pizza lover, (and who isn’t) go and try Forno’s at Dicey
Reilly’s. Highly recommended!
Dicey Reilly’s Pub and Eatery (beneath the Marriott’s Garden Café), 218
Second Road, Pattaya. Open seven days, 12 noon until last pizza order 10.30
p.m. Secure parking in the Royal Garden Plaza car park (but remember to get
your parking ticket validated before leaving the pub), telephone 084 653
5005.
