The Age of Napoletana Pizzas
When I first started writing about pizzas back in the early 2010s, Singapore was still very much a pan pizza and thin crust kind of place. But soon we caught the global Napoletana pizza craze, and woodfired Italian ovens started popping up all over the island. Nowadays it is hard to imagine a time when pizza restaurants had to import their own wood just to fire up their ovens!
Around the time I wrote about Crosta Pizza in 2014, the craft pizza scene was well underway, with Napoletana style pizza gaining a real foothold in the market. It has continued to grow, but the style has evolved. Pizzaiolos used to try their best to replicate the pizzas that would satisfy the strict criteria of the Vera Pizza Napoletana. We have moved beyond that now. Today’s pizzaiolos are tweaking, experimenting, and creating their own versions of the perfect pizza crust.
The Singaporean Pizzaiolo
Hiran Fernando happens to be one of them. I have known him since his Crosta days. After closing Crosta, he spent some time working as a pizzaiolo in other restaurants before opening Zazz Pizza. When that shuttered, he ran a small outlet at Margaret Market serving Roman style square pizzas.
Now he has resurrected Zazz pizza which he renamed Forno di Fernando.
For this new restaurant, he developed a brand new dough recipe with lovely leopard spotting and a light and crispy cornicione. It is by far his best crust yet! It is one of the best I have come across in Singapore.
Back at Zazz, I helped him create a few pizzas which became signatures of the restaurant. One of them was the burrata pizza, which was basically his margherita with a whole burrata sitting on top.
Burrata had only just gotten popular in Singapore then, and according to Fernando, we were the first to put it on a pizza. It is still one of his most popular pizzas today.
This time, we wanted to do something a little more adventurous. Don’t worry, Forno di Fernando still has all the traditional Italian flavours you would expect, so you can still get your Margherita and your Pepperoni.
But we have also come up with some new flavours that I think will really resonate with Singaporeans!
First: The Classics
Latest Iteration of the Burrata Pizza
This one is basically an evolution of the burrata pizza we created together years ago at Zazz. A whole burrata sits right in the middle, surrounded by Parma ham, sweet fresh figs, peppery rocket, and a generous dusting of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Tear open the burrata and enjoy the contrast of the cool, creamy cheese against the hot, crispy crust, and the savoury, salty Parma ham with the sweet figs!
Note: It is served with the burrata already shredded ie strachiatella. If you want a whole burrata, pls request for it.
Truffle Mushoom
This is another favourite I helped to create back at Zazz Pizza. The difference is that we sauté the mushrooms first before using them as a topping.
It really deepens the flavour. Truffle oil, mushrooms, and cheese, it’s the perfect combination!
New Flavours (Limited Time)
Special Opening Offer
Until 30 November 2026, Hiran is offering a special $25 base price for all these new flavours:
- Korean BBQ Beef Pizza (UP $32)
- Sri Lankan Curry Crab Pizza (UP $34)
- Cheese Platter (6 Cheeses) Pizza (UP $32)
Takeaway : $25+ (gst)
Dine-In : $25++
Online order takeaway/delivery: $27.50++
Korean BBQ Beef (Bulgolgi Beef) Pizza
This is the first of the new flavours. Tender slices of nicely charred Korean BBQ beef, piled on with red onions, red peppers, spring onions, and a sprinkling of black and white sesame seeds. The sweet, savoury beef will no doubt remind you of bak kwa, which is also great on pizza. This is one of my favourite pizza toppings, and it always gets a round of applause whenever I serve it at home. Except that Fernando’s leopard spots are much sexier than mine!
Sri Lankan Curry (Ceylon Crab) Pizza
This pizza is a nod to Fernando’s childhood. He was born in Sri Lanka and migrated to Singapore as a young man. So this one is a tribute to his own heritage.
Sweet blue swimmer crab meat is paired with Fernando’s Sri Lankan curry sauce and a coriander cream, then finished with dollops of creamy Stracciatella, blistered cherry tomatoes and crispy fried curry leaves.
If you love curry and seafood, you will feel right at home with this one!
The Cheese Platter – Pizza Sei Formaggi
One of my favourite ways to end a meal is with a cheese platter. So I asked Fernando to take his four cheese pizza up to six cheeses.
That includes shards of crispy baked Parmesan, then it’s finished with a drizzle of pistachio cream for a bit of sweetness and a scattering of walnuts for crunch.
Do remember to drizzle on some of Fernando’s homemade chilli honey, made with fermented chillies and honey. It adds that extra bit of zing which ties everything together.
Leave no Crust behind!
Here’s a lobang for all the makan kakis. You can ask for a selection of dips for your crust when you dine there. They’re free of charge! Choose from garlic aioli, pesto, and arrabbiata. Don’t say I never say!
Conclusion
It has been more than ten years since I first tasted Fernando’s pizza at Crosta, and it is lovely to see how far he has come. The crust is the best he has ever made, the classics are still there, and the new flavours give you a reason to come back again. Do head down and try them and let us know which one is your favourite!
