pizza Archives - Up in the Nusair

Dessert October 2, 2023

Some Stuff I Ate in Zagreb, Croatia

Sausage roll from Pekarna Bu & Ba

As far as I can tell, this place isn’t even in Google Maps — it just happened to be near my Airbnb. The guy behind the counter spoke perfect English (which seems to be pretty common in Zagreb), so I asked him what he recommended, and he pointed to the sausage roll, which he said he eats every morning for breakfast. It’s not the most Croatian thing ever, but you know what? The guy’s got a point. This was really satisfying — the pastry was fluffy and fresh, and its slight sweetness contrasted very nicely with the salty hot dog. I don’t know if I’d want to eat this on a daily basis, but every now and then? Sure.

Restaurants September 3, 2023

Some Stuff I Ate in Milan

Carbonara from Pasta a Gogo

Pasta a Gogo serves a handful of pasta dishes that they make fresh — it’s mostly a take-out joint, though they do have a couple of tables outside. The woman behind the counter spoke English fluently, so I asked her what her favourite was, and she answered “carbonara” without even a millisecond of hesitation. So that makes ordering quite easy; carbonara it is! And yeah, she’s not wrong to be enthusiastic about it; it’s ultra-rich and creamy, and the crispy pieces of guanciale are salty, porky, and satisfying.

Fast Food May 19, 2019

McDonald’s Around the World: McSpicy Paneer and Veg Pizza McPuff in India

This is actually my second visit to a McDonald’s in India (I previously tried the Maharaja Mac, India’s version of a Big Mac); the menu here is such a treasure trove of international McDonald’s weirdness that I couldn’t help but come back. There might even be a third visit!

Restaurants April 3, 2019

Magnificent Pizza at Pizza Studio Tamaki

I know what you’re thinking: pizza in Tokyo? Get out of here. I was thinking it too, but I dare you to watch this video and then not immediately want to check this place out.

WTF October 4, 2017

On Eating Pizza Like Lisbeth Salander

If you’ve read the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, you’ll probably remember that there are several mentions of Lisbeth Salander’s meal of choice, Billy’s Pan Pizza.

You might have assumed that Stieg Larsson just made it up for the book, but nope — it’s a real thing. So of course I ate one.

WTF September 18, 2017

The Worst Pizza in the History of Pizza

Remember when I tried a vending machine kebab sandwich, found it disgusting, but then admitted that I’d eat more weird vending machine food if I found it?

Well I’m a man of my word.

Restaurants August 28, 2017

No, They’re not all Perfect

I’m not going to post about every pizza I eat, because that would get boring pretty fast (what’s that? It’s already boring? Tough but fair!).

However, just in case you think that every pizza in Naples is a mind-blowing, life-changing experience, it’s probably good to know that mediocre pizzas exist here too (though to be fair, mediocre for Naples would still be pretty damn good back home).

Street Food August 25, 2017

Overdoing it (is an understatement)

I was walking around after eating a pretty great pizza at Pizzeria Brandi, when I saw a huge crowd lining up for what appeared to be some kind of food. A bit of investigation revealed it to a place called Zia Esterina that’s actually really famous for their fried pizza.

If you’ve read my post about Las Fritas in Barcelona, then you’ll know I’m pretty much entirely powerless to resist a line for food. What’s at the end of that line? How delicious is it? I must know.

Restaurants August 24, 2017

A Pizza History

Pizzeria Brandi claims to have invented the margherita pizza back in 1890 (though Wikipedia disputes that fact); true or not, a lot of people want to check the place out. It’s tourist overload. When I went, it was the most Asian people I’ve seen concentrated in one spot since coming to Europe.

Still, as jammed with tourists as it was (and it was jammed), how could I not go here? They invented the margherita pizza. If you love pizza and you don’t pay this place a visit, you’re doing it wrong.

Dessert August 23, 2017

Naples: So Far, So Good

If you’ll recall, a bunch of terrorist jerkfaces did their stupid jerk thing in Barcelona and kind of made me question my desire to stay in Europe.

Well guess what, jerkfaces? I’m still here. And boy am I glad I am, because I’ve been in Naples less than a day and can already tell that the food here is, in the immortal words of Guy Fieri, out of bounds.