In 2010, Artichoke opened its doors with all the unserious seriousness of an establishment that’s most self-aware about serving the least Middle Eastern Middle Eastern cuisine. 15 years later, successfully #stillnotdead, Singapore’s well-loved misfit is officially retiring the mezze and kebabs, and celebrating the continued cheating of death with a renaissance of the pizza persuasion.
Here comes Artichoke Pizza Parlor — a new-school pizza joint with old-school soul, built for neighbourhood regulars, the palate-adventurous, and really anyone who’s down for a good pie.
Reaching 15 doesn’t typically warrant a mid-life crisis, so that’s not the reason for the change. It’s that a decade and a half is an objectively long time to be doing the same thing, and staying fun calls for a fresh format. In the words of chef-owner Bjorn Shen: “It’s like we’ve been playing the same video game for 15 years. We’ve still got lives left, and it’s getting boring. So now we’re switching things up — same game, new weapon.” That new weapon? Pizza, in all its gloriously crusted, no holds-barred topped, universally familiar goodness.
Bjorn’s love for pizza runs deep. It began in childhood, splitting Super Supremes and buffalo wings in family feasts at Milano’s Pizza Restaurant, and carried on to baking truly regrettable pies (which taught him what not to do) in one of his earliest jobs in Australia. After encountering life-changing Neapolitan pizza in Japan, he embarked on a revelatory pilgrimage of visiting 20 pizzerias in nine days. This fervour for pizza has manifested in consulting for a pizzeria in Jakarta; obsessive pizza experimentation at Small’s; and most recently the launch of Baba G’s Pizza Place in Bali. He’s also had a phase of sporting, exclusively, t-shirts from pizzerias around the world, and he bears pizza-themed ink. That’s a real pizza aficionadough.
Artichoke Pizza Parlor isn’t trying to emulate. Its DNA is part 80s and 90s American-Italian pizzeria throwback, part new-school edge, and all classic Bjorn, calibrated to create an original pizza experience that’s for Singaporeans, by a Singaporean who just really, really loves pizza. And not in the woodfired artisanal traditional way, but in the joy and magic of pizza-fuelled childhood birthday bashes and pizza nights with the family way.
Artichoke Pizza Parlor revives comfort and nostalgia, taking you on a trip down memory lane, while spinning your head with novel ideas, flavours, textures, and presentations. By way of the offbeat yet flavourfully explosive culinary stylings, pre-evolution Artichoke lives on in Artichoke Pizza Parlor where the Middle Eastern influences still exist, just as part of a wider, wilder menuverse.
Years of hardcore pizza craft and study have yielded a signature dough formula. High-hydration results in crusts that are shatteringly crisp, with an airy and light interior — what Bjorn believes is Singapore’s favourite style of pizza crust, maxed out with toppings right to the edge.
This dough is the foundation for two crusts and three types of pizzas:
There are the Slabs, crunchy Sicilian-esque rectangles that are frico-based for greater crunch factor and a rich cheesy finish. The Stacks, double-decked stuffed slabs, are probably the first few of their kind in Singapore, and definitely extra in the best way. When you think a filling is enough, Artichoke says more toppings on top of all that.
The Rounds are a rare find locally: fried, then baked, ridiculously airy golden-brown bases. All these are topped with combinations of ingredients that run the gamut from familiar to unhinged, in the realm of pancetta with apple butter; spicy octopus masak hitam; carrot masquerading as pepperoni; and jackfruit with ginger flower and chilli honey.
If you’re lucky, you’ll be there when a Special shows up — like the mystical Unicorn, spectacularly burdened with fresh Hokkaido uni, nori, salmon roe, garlic butter, and wasabi.
For the full pizza experience, which is never just pizza, the menu is also decked out with snacks, sides, and desserts. And while Artichoke Pizza Parlor’s unserious about itself, it’s serious about quality grub. Drinks-wise, the Parlor’s got you covered with just about everything: a wine list, ice-cold beers, house cocktails, as well as diner-style floats and lemonades.
To the Italians, as Bjorn has discovered, anything made with pizza dough can be considered a pizza. And to Bjorn, that’s basically permission to do whatever he wants, with reason! Because anything ‘Bjorn authentic’ is multi-sensory, the food isn’t where it ends. With time, there will be pizza boxes adorned with custom art; pizza-themed merchandise; and guest chef collaborations. There will maybe be a pizza supper club, and definitely DJs and pizza parties in the backyard. The possibilities are endless!
Artichoke Pizza Parlor is built for the people. All of them: regulars who’ve followed Bjorn from Middle Road to New Bahru, curious newcomers, weekend warriors, the weekday lunch crowds, and delivery enthusiasts. And very much like its original incarnation, Artichoke Pizza Parlor is still risk-taking, unfiltered, and gets its kicks out of dishing out to the people something they’ve never had before but feels comfortingly familiar. With pizza done the Bjorn way, Artichoke Pizza Parlor is gearing up to be Singapore’s go-to pizza spot.
#FingersCrossed #WeHopeThisWasAGoodIdea
