By Razif Rosli
TAPAH: An eatery serving wood-fired pizza amidst the serene atmosphere of a classic Malay village, surrounded by lush greenery and the soothing sounds of cascading waters from the Lata Kijang and Lata Iskandar waterfalls.
Sounds far-fetched? Except that in this case, it is true.
So, if you you feel like having pizza that is baked the traditional way in a woodfired oven while attuning to nature, head for Pizza Bakar Tapah Wood Fire at First Mile, Jalan Pahang near here.
The firewood stove to bake the pizza is located below a typical Perak traditional Malay house which is surrounded by bird’s nest ferns and piles of firewood in a tropical garden setting.
Ishamuddin Abdul Malik, 46, who operates the pizza joint together with his friend Iswadi Shadom, also 46, said wood-fired oven makes pizza tastes great because it gives that distinctive smoky flavour.
He said that for now they serve four types of pizza namely chicken pepperoni, meat pepperoni, meat and chicken which come in two sizes – large and medium.
“Our nine-inch and 12-inch pizzas can be enjoyed by up to four people and they are sold from RM17 to RM25 a piece.
“What makes our pizza different is the tomato sauce because we have modified it to suit the taste buds of our local community. In addition to the soft pizza dough, we use the freshest ingredients and the smoky flavour gives our pizza that authentic Italian taste,” Ishamuddin told Bernama when met at the premises here.
Ishamuddin added that the idea of using wood from rubber trees as fuel was because he wanted it to be unique so that customers could feel – connected to nature.
“The traditional ovens which have been used for centuries in Italy are still in use today in pizzerias and restaurants, so it is not wrong for us to follow the practice in Malaysia and the response from customers has been very encouraging.
“Firewood can really make food including pizza taste a lot better compared to cooking in an electric oven. The same goes with cooking chicken rendang, the taste is so much different when cooked over a wood stove instead of a gas stove,” he said.
According to Iswadi, who is the pizza baker, the idea of starting the business came about two months ago after taking almost a month to come up with the perfect pizza dough mixture.
“After several trials and errors and consulting those with experience on the measurements and ingredients used, we finally got the right pizza crust which is the most important, besides the sauce and toppings.
He said it takes a shorter time to bake pizza in a wood burning stove which is only about three to five minutes depending on the oven temperature.
He said, so far most of their customers have given positive feedback on the pizza taste and texture , adding that between 50 to 80 pieces of pizza are sold daily.
Iswadi said the idea of starting the wood-fired pizza business came from Ishamuddin who urged him to join in his business and making use of his ancestral home in Tapah.
“He was in the village to clean up the house which has been preserved by his family through generations and he thought the unique village setting could make a difference to attract customers.
“Initially, we only set up two tables below the house and when the crowd grew bigger we added more tables and chairs,” he said adding that they plan to expand the business to a location somewhere near the riverside.
“From the start, we had decided that the business must incorporate traditional features and concept, from the food to be served to the design and decoration of the premises, in living in harmony with nature, ” he added.
Pizza Bakar Tapah Wood Fire operates Saturday to Wednesday from 3 pm to 10 pm and is closed on Thursday and Friday. – BERNAMA
