The Pizza Bar on 38th will take over the eight-seater chef’s counter at Embu for one week, where executive chef Daniele Cason will serve up his pizza omakase menu comprising seasonal and classic offerings
How much do you love your pizzas? If you would go as far as camping in front of your laptop for hours in order to snag the coveted slots at The Pizza Bar on 38th at Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, then you’ll be glad to know that the lauded pizza restaurant with a two-month waitlist is making its way to Singapore this October for a one-week pop-up at Mandarin Oriental, Singapore. From October 24 to 27 and 29 to 31, executive chef Daniele Cason will personally helm the eight-seater chef’s table at Embu to recreate the lunch and dinner experience which has won many fans over since the restaurant opened its doors in 2013.
The highlight, of course, is the pizza omakase menu where Cason will serve a mix of classic and seasonal offerings. “We will keep to the same format as our restaurant in Tokyo… we will serve six slices of pizzas for lunch and eight slices for dinner in a degustation menu [which also includes an appetiser, dessert and petit fours],” shares Cason in an exclusive interview with Tatler ahead of the Singapore pop-up. While diners can expect the Pizzino, his signature pizza of mascarpone cheese, black olives and white truffles which has been on the menu since day one, they can also expect other delicious surprises that spotlight what nature offers. “At The Pizza Bar on 38th, we are all about using the best quality ingredients that are in season,” he states, elaborating that October will be abundant with top quality porcini and sea urchin from Hokkaido “if we get lucky”.
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Above Pizzino, a signature pizza which has been on the menu since day one at The Pizza Bar on 38th
Pizzino, a signature pizza which has been on the menu since day one at The Pizza Bar on 38th
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Other than his pizza toppings, what makes Cason’s pizzas special is his dough made with 100 per cent Italian ingredients. “It's a blend of five different types of organic flour from Piedmont, Italian olive oil from Sicily. We even use Italian salt and S.Pellegrino bottled water to make our pizza dough,” he expresses. What makes it so light and airy? Cason tells us that he only uses 1g of yeast per kilo of flour, as compared to a Neapolitan pizza, for example, which uses between 6 to 8g per kilo. The dough is then fermented for at least 48 hours, ensuring that the pizza dough is “very light and easy to digest” after it’s baked in the customised oven. Cason’s obsession with dough is real that he created two dough recipes with “different percentages of flour” for his tomato-based and cheese-based pizzas.
With the rise of Tokyo Neapolitan pizzas in Asia, we ask Cason how he would categorise his pizzas. He tells us that “I love to think that our pizzas are very much Italian and the flavours reminiscent of this Italian creation”. However, after being based in Japan for more than a decade, he recognises the abundance of premium quality ingredients found within his own backyard. “All the fresh ingredients, fresh cheeses and vegetables I use for the toppings come from Japan, while the aged cheeses are procured from Italy” he lets on.
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Above Marinara pizza
Above Bufala pizza
Marinara pizza
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In fact, the idea of doing pizza omakase came to mind when he first moved to Japan more than a decade ago. “Calling our menu omakase is connected to the work of the Japanese chefs. “I learnt that in Japanese culture, omakase menus mean giving your guests what’s best at that specific moment. Our pizza omakase is not just a course menu; it’s about providing what’s best in the season on a specific day.”
With only a few months to go before Cason comes to Singapore for his first pop-up restaurant on the island, his team is hard at work in recreating the experience in his award-winning Tokyo restaurant. It earned the Bib Gourmand accolade in 2022 and 2023, and has consistently been in the 50 Top Pizza Asia Pacific ranking since 2022. “We have an eight-seat counter table that is exactly the same as what we have in Tokyo, we will install a pizza oven, and the background will be redesigned to resemble The Pizza Bar on 38th,” he declares.
Above Pizza omakase at The Pizza Bar on 38th
Pizza omakase at The Pizza Bar on 38th
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In doing another overseas pop-up, after successful stints in Hong Kong (twice) and Dubai, Cason hopes that diners can taste “my love for pizzas” which began when he was a young chef in his home city of Rome who enjoyed having pizza alla pala. It’s a street food type of pizza sold by the squares which tourists often enjoy while walking. “You enter the shop and the pizzas are pre-baked and placed on trays. You select what you want, whether it’s margherita or bianca, and you decide how you want it [with your choice of toppings],” he reminisces. And while his pizzas at the restaurant are more elevated, Cason hopes to give diners that same feeling of happiness he experiences when he bites into the quintessential Italian snack of pizza alla pala.
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Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
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The Pizza Bar on 38th Mandarin Oriental Singapore Mandarin Oriental Tokyo Pizza omakase
