PIZZA places are undeniably ubiquitous nowadays. Maybe that’s a good thing, as it has led some to rethink how Cebuanos eat their pizza. Here are two pizza joints with concepts that go outside the pizza box.
Brian Espina, owner and product developer of Brasco’s Pizza, kept a four-year affair with pizza. He spent that long tweaking their recipe for pizza dough.
Flip their pizza slice over and you’ll see Brian’s handiwork: golden brown spots that give thin-crust pizzas that crunch, whatever the flavor.
Brasco Pizza, the house specialty, is a savory mix of bacon, ham, pepperoni, sausage and the house signature meatballs.
Seafood fans will be delighted with the Marinara Pizza. While it has the standard squid and shrimp, they take it up a notch and add aligue (crab fat).
They also come up with a pizza flavor of the week. Pork belly pizza? Or bangus pizza? Keep guessing, as the Espinas want customers to be excited about pizza the way that they are.
“The possibilities of pizza are endless. What you see in the market right now is not all that pizza has to offer,” quips marketing and PR person Ingrid Espina.
A must-eat is Crazy Bliss, their take on brownie a la mode. The brownie is tender on the edges but gradually becomes moist and gooey near the center, and topped with their home-made vanilla ice cream. There’s something about it that will make you get one spoonful… then another… and another.
Whether for dine-in or delivery, Brasco aims to serve you nostalgic memories of home-cooked goodness along with your food.
Let’s go to our second slice, so to say. For Mamma Maria, size does matter. After all, the star of their pizza line-up is their 63-inch pizza.
However, the said pizza is only available in Bacolod. The largest available in Cebu is the 30-inch pizza, which has 24-30 slices good for 12-14 people.
Opened in 2005, the Mamma Maria trademark is owned by Swedish Tommy Brazy. The pizza parlor was named after his Filipina wife, Maria.
For foodies with brave hearts and stomachs, taste the crocodile pizza, even just for the bragging rights. For sure, saying “Ever tasted crocodile pizza? I have,” makes for an interesting conversation starter or Facebook or Twitter post.
Less “daring” but still on the exotic side is the Kebab Pizza, which comes with beef tenderloin toppings and a tasty, white garlic sauce. The peperoncini, a cross between a green bell pepper and a siling haba (finger chili) is surprisingly edible without burning your tongue.
Customized pizzas are also available through their Create Your Own Pizza option.
With pizzas like these, it’d be hard to go back to just the usual pizza.