by Miss Terry Diner
There are those readers who imagine that the life of a
food writer is one of swanky restaurants, fawning waiters, expensive wines
and caviar. Undoubtedly those evenings do arise, but they are in the
minority. Restaurant reviews are taken mainly from the kinds of eating
houses where we all eat - including some different places which would not
necessarily immediately spring to mind. This week’s review is one of
those. Unashamed ‘food to go’ right in the middle of Walking Street!
California
Gourmet Pizza is on the ocean side of Walking Street, just down from
Marine Disco and across from the Winchester Nite Spot and Asylum 2.
Brightly lit, it is a takeaway but has an eating bench outside with a few
stools, but many people will rather have the comfortable cane chairs which
belong to the bar just behind the pizza parlour. The kitchen area of
California Gourmet Pizza is all stainless steel and was immaculately
clean, while the servery area was also stainless steel under glass and
again very hygienic.
The concept is two-fold. One is to produce real ‘food
to go’ with no waiting at all, for the flocks of pedestrians and rubber-neckers
who inhabit Walking Street every night. The second is to produce pizzas
for the home delivery market and the delivery area does include Naklua and
Jomtien as well as Pattaya.
The
pizzas come in two sizes, the “small” is 12" (26 cm) in diameter
which is generally called “large” in most other places, while the
larger on offer is the “Giant” pizza which is 16" (40 cm)
diameter, and I do not know of anything larger in Pattaya. The 12"
basic cheese pizza is B. 250, with extra toppings B. 35, while the
16" basic cheese is B. 350 with extra toppings B. 50. For those of
mathematical bent who remember the equation “Pi R squared” it will not
take you long to work out that the giant pizza is almost twice the size of
the more usual “large” varieties elsewhere. And while twice the size
(surface area) it is not double the price of the more usual ones
elsewhere. Value for money, the Giant pizza wins hands down. (I must admit
that this was pointed out to me, mathematics is not normally Miss
Terry’s best subject - unless it is in relation to something I am owed!)
There are canned soft drinks available (B. 30) and if
you want beers etc, the bar behind will accommodate you.
The toppings that are offered include ham, crab,
shrimp, onion, pineapple, pepperoni, mushroom and green pepper (capsicum),
so there are certainly enough for you to choose from. There is a range of
condiments for you to add as well, including oregano and garlic powder for
those who wish.
However, despite the size and ingredients, is the pizza
any good? We decided that to be as fair as possible we would not order
pizzas specially made for the Dining Out Team, but would instead grab
pizza by the slice from the public servery section.
Our initial choice included slices from a seafood pizza
which had crab and shrimp toppings, a pepperoni and mushroom, and a ham
and pineapple. The first item of note is the pizza crust. Not the thin and
crispy that cuts the gums, or the thick (and greasy) but an in between
“fluffy” crust. The second item of note was that the toppings were not
scrimped upon in any way. The third notable fact was just how filling the
large slices really were! We all enjoyed our choices very much.
The combined Dining Out Team found that the fare from
the California Gourmet Pizza was more than a match for the “big names”
in the local pizza business. The taste and quality is there, the size of
the serves enormous and the value for money very evident. For ‘food to
go’ on Walking Street it has no opposition and for home delivered pizza
it presents a real alternative to the established pizza delivery outlets.
Well worth a consideration.
California Gourmet Pizza, 190 Beach Road (Walking
Street), M.10, South Pattaya, telephone 038 710 602.
