Milano Pizza & Wine is a modern pizza bar that combines a wildly-fun, neo-Neapolitan twist to pizzas with an edgy Italian wine list.
Milano Pizza & Wine is one of the latest concepts to open around Duxton Hill. Located on Craig Road on the flanks of that Chinatown entertainment district, the swanky contemporary pizza bar joins the likes of Nemesis, Mezcla, and Firangi Superstar in a surprising yet welcome revitalisation of a once-bustling area but one that has been flagging in recent years.
Don’t confuse it with Milano’s Pizza though; Milano Pizza & Wine is not an upmarket reincarnation of that now-defunct fast food pizza chain once popular in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
So what’s different that Milano Pizza & Wine can bring to the table? As we found out, quite a lot.
Owned by SJS Group – the lifestyle operator behind Pasta Bar, Papi’s Tacos, Bang Bang, bar Milano, and more – Milano Pizza & Wine is a partnership with Anthony “Pizza Czar” Falco. If you’re not familiar with that name, Falco is an internationally-renown pizzaiolo and pizza consultant that has worked on projects including Norm’s Pizza (Brooklyn, New York), General Assembly Pizza (Toronto), Lupita Pizzaria (Lisbon), and closer to home, Manhattan Slice in Bali. Falco is also the best-selling author of “Pizza Czar: Recipes and Know-How from a World-Traveling Pizza Chef“. All of which, I’m assuming, makes him a pretty good authority on pizza pies.
But not just any pizza. For Milano Pizza & Wine, Falco brings his own signature Neo-Neapolitan style. His approach borrows heavily from the classic Naples technique, but pushes the boundaries by using less common ingredients for exciting new flavours. Like its contemporaries he uses a sourdough base, combining a mixture of Australian organic wheat flour and Italian pizza flour with a sourdough starter. Milano also bakes their pies at a consistently higher temperature in order to develop a more robust crumb so they support their toppings.
As for toppings, here’s where Milano and Falco goes to town. Sure there are safe options – the classic Margherita for those who prefer familiar flavours, or Sausage & Hot Chillies, a twist on a Calabrian-style pizza. Those who like a touch of decadence can go for either the Potato & Caviar and Crab & Caviar. We enjoyed the Upside-Down Vodka Sauce & Calabrese, the sauce exuding a heady aroma and with just a little bit of sweetness to offset the saltiness of the salami.
It gets wilder. You have Dashi & Onsen Egg for some Japanese influence, while Korea Town sees beef bulgogi, kimchi and gochujang as toppings. Or how about a more local Chinese twist with Char Siu?
Aside from those neo-Neapolitan options, Milano Pizza & Wine also offers thicker, 2-inch pies. Not quite Chicago deep-dish style pizzas, but with their crustier edges and almost fluffy centres they are more akin to focaccia. The buttercrust Milano Hut Meat Lovers Pan Pizza is a cheeky jibe at – and far tastier than – Pizza Hut’s version, while Spicy Honey & Soppressata has full-on sweet, spicy, and savoury flavours all at once.
By this time we were too full to even look at the main courses, but I have to add that the Bagna Cauda Steak Tartare entree is delightful, despite being a bizarre combination of French steak tartare and the Piedmontese anchovy-based dip.
As for its drinks programme, Milano carries a range of wines, a list of wine spritzers, a number of cocktails, and even some sake if you prefer.
We were rather blown away by the Pinot Grigio Cucumber Spritz, which offered up refreshing yet deeply layered flavours despite a simple wine spritzer. A rather fun cocktail is the Italian Margarita, the classic tequila-based tipple getting an Italian upgrade with the use of limoncello for citrusy sweetness in place of Cointreau.
The predominantly Italian wine list is surprisingly robust for a pizza bar, and cleverly curated by grape varietal. So yes you can stick to classics with a Barolo or Chianti Classico – like the Cossetti 2015 Barolo DOCG or Tolaini Gran Selezione Chianti Classico – or alternatively explore wines made with Italy’s many lesser known indigenous varietals such as Garganega, Rondinella, Aglianico, and Primitivo.
Singapore may have witnessed a sudden explosion in the number of pizza bars lately – there’s Spa Esprit Group’s Drunken Farmer, for example, as well as Wild Child Pizzette by the Cicheti Group, both of which are similar in concept – but we think Milano Pizza & Wine is still an exciting and worthy addition to Singapore’s F&B scene.
Interested enough to check them out? Here’s a tip – forget the booth seats. When making your reservations, ask to sit at the counter seats of the open kitchen if you’re keen to see some pizza slinging action. Alternatively, opt for the very limited seats at the bar if you prefer to chat with the bartender and watch drinks being made.
Milano Pizza & Wine
Address 10 Craig Road, Singapore 089670 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 12pm to 2pm and 6pm to 10.30pm Thursdays to Sundays; 6pm to 10.30pm Mondays to Wednesdays
Tel (65) 8920 4100 (WhatsApp)
Web www.milanopizza.sg
Facebook milanopizzasg
Instagram @milanopizzasg
