Beyond the Dough has just opened its doors near Bugis MRT Station, bringing Tokyo Neapolitan-style pizza to Singapore shores. The pizzeria is helmed by Japanese pizzaiolo (Italian for a pizza maker) chef Eddie Murakami, who perfected his pizza-making techniques at Japan’s Michelin-recognised Pizza Strada at Roppongi and Pizza Studio Tamaki. Both eateries sit consistently on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list since opening, and ranked 82nd and 88th respectively on the 100 Top Pizzas in the World list last year.
The 28-seat restaurant chef-owner partners sake and Japanese food importer Yokimono Pte Ltd’s director, Shinji Yokota to set up shop and will be based in Singapore to make the pizzas personally at his shop. The pizzeria specialises in “Tokyo Neapolitan-style” pizzas, a new wave Japanese adaptation of the classic Neapolitan pie which originated from Naples, the birthplace of pizzas.
Neapolitan pizza is known for its simple ingredients but potent flavour — its base is made from a combination of flour and water spiked with salt and yeast, left to ferment, and later cooked till the cornicione (the pizza ‘edge’ or crust) puffs up and sports charred black-brown blisters known as leopard spotting.
At Beyond The Dough, the pizza dough is aged for 30 hours. The Tokyo-style Neapolitan pies here differ from the Italian version in its preparation; the wood-fired kiln has to be lit with Japanese wood (BTD uses two types of firewood including cedar), and the oven itself is judiciously salted before the pies are loaded in.
Prices start from $30 to $40 for a pizza here, with both traditional and mod offerings. Classic flavours include Margherita (mozzarella, basil and tomato sauce) and Diavola (salami, mozzarella and sliced jalapeños). There are also house-exclusive pies like Beyond Bianca (mascarpone, buffalo cheese, burrata cheese and truffle oil), Bismark (mushrooms, salsiccia, cheese, egg and pecorino) and Cacciatore (basil, olive, chicken sausages and cheese), as well as a mod Nduja pizza topped with spicy ‘nduja sausage slices.
