A taste of Naples in the mall: dining at Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria

Just as we were drawn to go to Su&Shi yet again on our recent trip to the mall, I convinced everyone that we should try something new. The girls love pizza anyway, and this is one of hubby’s all-time favourites so it wasn’t hard to convince them. And what better pizza to try than a Neapolitan pizza.

Before seating ourselves at Famoso, our host/server told us how the system worked. You check out the menus available on the tables. Once you know what you want, you go over to the counter to order. After the order is in, you get full service for the rest of your meal.

What was interesting was that they had a pretty decent wine list. Who would’ve thought you could have some wine at the mall?! But hey, wine and shopping make for a happy mall excursion, don’t you think? And while I did not get any on this trip, I noted some whites I will look for in LCBO.

We ordered one of the Pizza Rossas (Red Pizza—made with tomato sauce) and one of the Pizza Biancas (White pizza—made with white sauce). The choice for the Pizza Rossa was the Siciliana, a concession to hubby and DD#2 who are meat lovers. It had oven-roasted Italian sausage, Italian ham, and baked prosciutto.  DD#1 and I, on the other hand, ordered Quattro Formaggi (four-cheese)--fresh mozzarella, smoked mozzarella, gorgonzola, and pecorino romano.

The pizza dough is hand-stretched and made of Caputo flour, imported from Italy. It is then baked in authentic bell ovens for 90 seconds. As they have an open kitchen, you can see the pizzaiolo (pizza maker) assembling the pizzas before putting them in the beautifully-crafted, wood-fired, domed oven. Each pizza is about 11-inches with a soft, thin crust. It was recommended that we fold the pizza before biting into it to keep all the toppings from sliding off. A good tip, indeed!



The flavours were light, but tasty. The ingredients were fresh and delicious! There was also a bit of char on the crust for that added wood-fired authenticity. We will definitely be back to try the classics-- Margherita and Marinara!

Buon Appetito!

Cheers! Beer tasting at Amsterdam Brewery

My co-workers and I found ourselves at the Leaside area for a teambuilding event. On our way to the trampoline place where we were supposed to go, we passed by Amsterdam Brewery. We found out later on that most of us made a mental note to check it out on the way home. So, after our afternoon activity, all of us decided to extend our team-building and check this place out.

It was an on-site brewery with a retail area and even a seating area. We did a beer tasting—7 in all, starting with the lightest, of course. We tried their Natural Blonde, Big Wheel, 416, Boneshaker, Nut Brown Ale, Raspberry Wheat, and their spring seasonal, Spring Bock. They also do tours on weekends. While most of their beer is available at LCBO, there were some which were not (or so we were told).  I normally don’t like beer, but if I do take it, I prefer the dark malts. The beer we tasted all had 5% - 7% alcohol content except for the 416 which had…4.16%. These were available in bottles, cans and some in draught.

We all enjoyed the different draught beer served from the pitcher to our small plastic cups. Most of us ended up getting some more at the retail section, which proves that sampling does work! They also offer other merchandise such as shirts, mugs and the like. After our shopping spree, the weekend began with me lugging home some Spring Bock to share with hubby.

One interesting thing I learned is that bock beers were originally brewed in monasteries for the monks’ consumption during Lent. As they have high nutritional content, it provided the monks with sustenance during their fasting. Well, with 7.2% alcohol content, am sure it made the fasting quite bearable. Plus, it tasted great! This dark brew had a perfect balance of sweet/malty and bitter. It also had the aroma and taste of caramel and coffee. I loved it and Hubby did, too! Spring has come! Here’s to drinks at the patio! Cheers!