Firehouse Pizza x EAPPOC: Aaron Lau's Southern Takeover

Chef Aaron Lau grates pecorino over a French Tryst pizza

For most of us, pizza is simply quick nosh: a snack to be eaten on the go, a load of processed meats and cheeses lumped onto a yeasted dough base. Sometimes, it's a light meal; others, just one of numerous courses offered for an event and not necessarily one of the main features of the buffet.

While it is easy under such circumstances to dismiss pizza as, alas, junk food, it can be transformed into a dish both substantial and sublime if treated with care by the hands of a master. In which case, pizza becomes more than just a quick bite, but a dish to be savoured at leisure, bite after well-crafted bite, and paired with an equally exquisite beverage.

These glorious pies are available for one day only

In celebration of World Pizza Week, two powerhouse pizzerias are teaming up to bring delectable Detroit-style pizzas to the southern suburbs of Manila. Chef Aaron Lau and his team from Makati stalwart Easy as Pie Piece of Cake (EAPPOC) are taking over the kitchen at Alabang's Firehouse Pizza on Friday, 16th February 2024.

 

EAPPOC's primary stock in trade is their "hip to be square" pizzas done in impeccable Detroit style. While some tend to interchange or mistake Detroits with the better-known Chicago deep-dish, they're actually quite different.  The crust on a Chicago deep-dish is flaky and somewhat buttery: really more like a shortcrust pastry as opposed to pizza dough. Detroit pizzas like those Aaron Lau & Co make start with a dough that is practically focaccia (or even its Florentine sibling schiacciata): doughy, thick, and bakes into a tender, chewy, airy mass. Also, the crust on a Detroit-style pizza is characterised by its frico: crisply browned cheese on its bottom and sides, a nuance that adds flavour, texture, and character to the finished pie. It goes without saying that the EAPPOC team have this down to a T, so you know you're getting an authentic taste of Detroit thousands of miles away from the actual city.

(Incidentally, Aaron Lau is also the man behind Booya Bagels which is one of the best - if not the best place to get an authentic New York kosher deli / appetising store bagel with gorgeously savoury lox cured on site or magnificent schmears ranging from sweet to savoury. Oh, while you're at it, grab a bagel sandwich if you're in their neck of the woods.)

Firehouse Pizza, on the other hand, built its reputation on the excellence of its pizzas which are made with the store's own proprietary sourdough which undergoes a 48-hour fermentation process to get their characteristic crisp on the outside / chewily tender within Big Apple-style thin crusts which are loaded up with both classic and original toppings. Firehouse is also justly famous for its generously-portioned salads, so you do get a balanced meal (to share, of course) whenever you order.

French Tryst: Caramelised onion, green olive tapenade, pecorino, cocktail olives, anchovies

 

Saucy Roni: Pepperoni pizza loaded with a fortified marinara, house-made ranch dressing, and nut-free pesto

The Russian: Chef Lau's signature Nova Scotia-style lox, cured salmon roe, cream cheese, onion, dill, lumpfish caviar

For Friday's kitchen takeover, the EAPPOC team is serving three unique pizza flavours that put a flavourful and rather eye-popping spin on classic pairings.

The French Tryst will remind you of two things: French onion soup and the pissaladiere most commonly eaten in the Southen French city of Nice. This Nicoise-inspired pie is topped with beautifully caramelised onions - sweet and savoury all at once - and a rather restrained grating of pecorino for a salty counterpoint. The pizza's umami quotient gets pumped up with Aaron Lau's surprising take on tapenade [olive butter] which uses green olives with their salty zing as opposed to black olives which veer more towards the bittersweet side. A sliced cocktail olive and a bit of anchovy complete each slice. This is best paired, in my opinion, with a good Belgian lambic whose fruity nuance will make the flavours of the dish pop. A dry white - preferably chilled - would also work beautifully.

The Saucy Roni, on the other hand, is a classic pepperoni pie where the knobs are turned up to eleven in terms of saucy richness. Aside from the standard pizza sauce, this meaty behemoth is smothered with a fortified Marinara that is boldly sharp and tomatoey. This is balanced by the creamy yet piquant house-made ranch dressing and a herbaceous nut-free pesto which adds a fresh nuance that keeps the pizza from tasting too heavy on one's palate. My only beef with this is that I think this is a pizza that needs to be served in smaller slices to keep it from getting too overwhelming. In any case, this is a great pizza that would best be enjoyed with a very cold lager or a bright-tasting IPA to cut through the richness.

Chef Lau oversees the preparation of The Russian

Finally, there's my personal favourite of the three: The Russian, a seriously indulgent Franken-pie that would not be out of place as either an elegant supper or an extra-bountiful brunch. This gorgeous pie starts out burnished on top with a blend of mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses. Dollops of cream cheese are evenly scattered over; then sheets - seriously, sheets! - of shaved lox fillet are artfully draped over, covering the entire surface. The dish is then finished off with a drizzle of sour cream, chives, shavings of red onion, and bumps of ikura [Japanese-style salt-cured salmon roe] and lumpfish caviar. Gorgeously rich and umami-laden, this pie goes beautifully with freshly-made Mimosas or Negronis. If you really want to up the ante, however, I recommend shots of Russian Standard vodka served sub-zero: the almost-slushy alcohol just goes well with this gastronomic indulgence.

EAPPOC takes over the Firehouse Pizza kitchen, alas, for one day only. I recommend you go and get a taste of truly inspired Detroit pies to kick-start your weekend.

📌: Firehouse Pizza - Ground Floor of Entrata Urban Complex, Civic Drive, Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa

📌: EAPPOC / Booya Bagels - Ground Floor of LPL Tower, Legaspi St, Legaspi Village, Makati

For inquiries regarding the Firehouse Pizza x EAPPOC kitchen takeover or to snag a table at Firehouse, contact +63998-5953832 or (02) 8282-5699.