Sure, Shenzhen has pizza. It has Pizza Huts and La César outlets in almost every shopping mall in town. But does it have authentic, finely crafted pies? That’s a separate question.
If you’re looking for California-style pizza, the answer is Artisan.
Owner Quinton Daniels, a self-proclaimed foodie, says he flew back to America during Thanksgiving just to get a taste of properly cooked turkey. That’s how serious he takes his food, in this case California-style pizza.
Invented in the 1980s, the pizza style combines Italian thin crust with California cuisine comfort foods, with barbecue chicken pizza likely being the most famous example.
All pizzas at Artisans are 12 inches across. Looking at the menu listing a dozen pizzas, we order the simplest one, the North Beach (RMB70). The first bite tastes like any hand-made pizza, but once you reach the crust – which manages to be both chewy and crunchy – we understand why Artisans is already making a name for itself.
The restaurant isn’t just a pizzeria. The Central Valley salad (RMB50) is the most popular greenery on the menu. Served in a large bowl, it’s a sweet mix of apple, pecan nuts and cranberries. Given the quality, it’s also remarka-ble that all of Artisans' dressings are homemade.
Heating things up a bit, we try the Catalina wings (RMB45), Caribbean-style chicken bites. They are as hot as the name suggests, but are unlikely to appeal to those used to Chinese food.
If the wings are a bit too spicy for you, a quick cool down can be found in the sweet potato San Joaquin Valley garnet fries (RMB42).
Artisans has a good selection of 14 affordably priced wines, with a bottle of Nederburg Foundation Chardonnay, from South Africa, going for RMB160.
Beer-wise, when we visited only the Estrella Lager (RMB35), Weiss Hefeweizen (RMB40) and Punk IPA (RMB45) were available, though there are plans to stock more in the near future.
Artisans is the sort of place people go to hang out on a rainy day and listen to soft jazz music over the sound system. It sits about 30, making it large enough to bring a group of friends, but small enough to remain intimate.
Price: RMB100
Who’s going: Americans, pizza buffs, artists
Good for: jazz music, delicious crust, and wine pairing
0 User Comments