There’s more to an Emmer Pizza than meets the palate, discovers Carolynne Dear on a night out with friends in Pacific Place
Enjoying a pizza da action at Emmer Pizza
Sadly there comes a time as a middle-aged mum when carbs are no longer your friend. I am endlessly fascinated by my teenage children’s ability to devour entire take-out pizzas, burgers and plates of fries and continue their day without a thought to what they’ve just consumed. They regard me through dazed and confused eyes when I suggest a side salad to healthy things up a bit.
Unfortunately at my stage in life, delicious as they are, pizzas, with their yummy but bloat-inducing dough, are off the menu.
Or so I thought. I was recently invited to dinner at Emmer Pizza in Pacific Place and it was a revelation to discover what might be Hong Kong’s healthiest pizza.
Emmer Pizza is the brainchild of the team behind burger specialist, Beef & Liberty, and, following the success of their debut Pacific Place branch, they have opened a second Emmer Pizza joint at BaseHall 01 in Jardine House.
The difference between an Emmer pizza and a regular version is in the crust. The restaurant’s moniker is taken from the emmer grain that is used to create the Emmer Pizza crust. Sometimes referred to as farro, emmer grains originate from the Middle East and date back some 19,000 years, falling reassuringly into the healthy ‘ancient grain' category.
The grains are milled by hand into flour, preserving the oils and nutrients, and then blended with top quality Italian rye flour and natural yeast and left to ferment for two days. There is nothing fast about this fast food offering.
The dough is then hand-stretched to order and baked in a rotating pizza oven to create a crust that is crunchy on the outside and light and airy within.
Restaurant founders Adrien and Justin - the pair boast a legacy of more than 50 years of pizza hospitality expertise between them - have meticulously sourced ingredients to complement the hard work that has gone into the crust. The passata sauce is made from sun-ripened tomatoes from Parma, the pepperoni is naturally cured and fermented and free of nitrates and chemicals. The cheeses bear the coveted European ‘Protected Designation of Quality’ mark.
In short, this is about as healthy and nutritious as a pizza gets.
The proof, of course, is in the pudding, or rather the pizza in this case, and on a rainy Wednesday evening the Pacific Place pizzeria was packed. There were a couple of birthdays in progress and much jollity as we dived into the happy scene with margaritas all round.
Our appetites were whetted with some deliciously picky Garlic Truffle Dough Sticks before we moved on to the main event. As one of the world’s few brussels sprouts lovers, I was keen to try the Brussels Sprouts pizza (the kids were suitably appalled when I revealed what I’d ordered the next day). But to be honest, I think they would have loved it as much as I did. There is a scattering of brussels leaves alongside tangy pancetta, and a touch of chilli nestled amongst a medley of melted fine cheeses. Brussels sprouts aficionado or no, there is nothing not to love about this pizza.
The Dolce Diavolo came with the aforementioned chemical-free pepperoni and was taken to the next level with a drizzle of honey.
Our final order was for that night’s special which was a Pad Kra Pao with stir-fried minced pork, Thai chilli, Thai basil and mozzarella cheese and finished with a perfectly runny egg which ran deliciously into the minced pork when we broke into it.
All in all, we ate rather more than intended. But of course with an ancient grain-filled crust and top notch ingredients, there was nothing to feel guilty about. If only we could say the same about the margaritas…
Emmer Pizza, Shop 407, Level 4, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong; +852 2780 1110.
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