Pizza from Pizzazz never fails to plea

Spicy tuna and mozzarella pizza at Pizzazz.

A Matter of Taste with Charlotte Malakoff

DO you have to be an Italian from Naples to make a good pizza? The residents of Greystone Park and farther afield would say no, based on the continuous stream of hungry clients flowing in and out of Pizzazz Pizza Restaurant last Saturday evening.

Originally the word pizzazz described a person or a place having a combination of vitality and glamour, but after Chefs Brett and Brad Wroe opened Pizzazz Pizza in April 2011, in Greystone Park, the abstract noun took on a whole new meaning. In Harare,Pizzazz has become a brand name conjuring up images of freshly-baked pizzas and numerous luscious toppings; it also has a reputation for making the best burgers and ribs in the region.

The sun was setting when we arrived at Pizzazz last Saturday evening. A young couple and their baby were seated outside on the verandah, waiting for their take-outs, while inside, two little girls at the junior artists’ table scribbled and drew happily while their mother waited nearby for her order to be called.

Pizzazz in Greystone Park is primarily a take-out restaurant, but it also provides a delivery service and welcomes walk-ins. There is no liquor licence, so George and I brought our own bottle of red wine. Friendly waitstaff provided plastic cups, and we sipped our wine while checking out the many choices on the menu. Creatures of habit can go for classic pizza choices, such as Napoli, flavoured with anchovies, capers, olives and mozzarella, or Margherita, a deceptively simple combination of pizza sauce, garlic, tomato, fresh basil and mozzarella. Meat lovers may be tempted by Babalaas, a pizza topped with pork bangers, bacon, fried egg, cheese and mushrooms, created to calm the system after a heavy night out. Vegetarians will revel in Vegetarian Volcano, with its topping of artichoke hearts, asparagus, mushrooms and grilled zucchini. If you have your own ideas about flavour combinations, the chefs will put together any fillings your heart desires.

Scrolling down the menu, we eyed the list of Kick Ass Burgers with keen interest, but put those on the back burner for another day. Once ribs and chips came up on the menu, George’s mind was made up. A full rack of meaty pork ribs, basted with Pizzazz home made sauce ($15), served with chips, sounded perfect. But ribs were temporarily off the menu. Unbelievably there is a pork shortage in Zimbabwe. Back in 2008 when all the supermarket shelves were bare, you could still find pork chops to buy. So where are all the pigs? Genial manager at Pizzazz, Mike Mhundwa, told me that their supply of South African pork ribs had been held up at the border.

Finally George opted for spicy buffalo wings and chips, with a sweet honey mustard dipping sauce ($9). I settled for a medium size Tonno pizza, with pizza sauce, spiced tuna, capers, onion rings and mozzarella, on a crunchy thin crust ($10). Standard crust (more carbs) also available.

We were half way through our bottle of wine before our food arrived, the kitchen having been swamped with orders for delivery and take-out. For the first time in years I sat down to eat a pizza just as it came out of the oven. Steaming hot, full of flavour and oozing with top grade melted mozzarella cheese, I devoured the whole pizza. No doggy bag required for left overs for breakfast the next day.

Neapolitans, who claim to make the best pizzas in Italy, are very particular when it comes to using the right ingredients. Flour for the pizza dough should be fine-textured and have a low gluten content, and the pizzas should be baked in a wood-fired oven at a temperature of at least 485 degrees C. I didn’t see the pizza ovens at Pizzazz, or enquire what kind of flour they use, but Mike Mhundwa told me how particular Chef Brett is about sourcing the freshest and best ingredients possible. Tomatoes for the all-important pizza base are provided by a reliable farmer, and when top quality ingredients are not available locally, they are imported from South Africa.

Harare is a long way from Naples, but a pizza from Pizzazz, whether small, medium or large, never fails to please.

Pizzazz Restaurant

Shop 4, Greystone Park Shopping Centre

Harare

Cell: 0777781583

Open every day

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