The 44-seater Roberta’s Pizza Singapore offers the same Neapolitan-inspired pizza loved by celebs from Beyonce to Hillary Clinton.
“Another day, another pizza joint”, I told myself when I heard about Roberta’s Pizza opening in Singapore. Not that I’m complaining – we love our pizza around here so we’ll gladly welcome this famed Brooklyn pizzeria. It isn’t any ordinary pizza joint either – we hear that Beyonce, Jay-Z, Bill and Hilary Clinton are fans. Alright, it’s got our attention…
Roberta’s Pizza review: A slice of Brooklyn in our Little Red Dot
Taking a spot at the grandiose Marina Bay Sands, the 44-seater pizzeria in Singapore incorporates elements of the four other outlets in America. It also has a cool photo wall of memories from the establishment’s 15-year journey, along with vibrant pop art commissioned by Singapore artist Andre Tan and New York-based painter Jason Woodside. But what caught our attention was the bright red and yellow pizza oven in the middle. Tip: make yourself comfy at the counter seat to watch the chefs in action.
Classic flavours with a chewy, slightly charred crust
The Singapore outlet adopts the same menu, recipes and techniques used in its sister locations. These 12-inch pizzas are baked in a similar wood and gas-fired Pavesi oven, and the dough is made from a 15-year-old natural starter – a key ingredient in its chewy crust.
The menu’s pretty straightforward with about ten pizzas (ranging from $20 to $29), sides, salads and a humble beer selection. We started strong with Los Angeles’ bestseller Bee Sting ($28), with Calabrese salami, basil and mozzarella drizzled with chilli oil and honey; and the all-around fave Cheesus Christ ($28) with mozzarella, taleggio, parmigiano and black pepper. Don’t spend too much time taking photos ‘cos it’s best to have them while hot.
The pizzas were decent and though we enjoyed the mix of cheeses and addition of black pepper in the former, they weren’t mindblowing. In fact, we were yearning for punchier flavours (the chilli oil definitely needed more kick) and the charred crust was a tad too bitter for our liking. However, Baby Sinclair ($29) surprised us with interesting toppings like crunchy-not-soggy dinosaur kale with mushrooms, Calabrese peppers and garlic. The traditionalist in us was impressed! It’s popular among the Singapore team, too.
Need more carbs? The house bread made with the same pizza dough, with stracciatella ($15) or cultured butter ($9) will fill you up nicely.
Salad + pizza: A surprisingly good combo
In case you’re craving salad to balance the carbs, they’ve got your back. The massive green lettuce salad ($16) with sea lettuce vinaigrette, mixed herbs, lemon, caper, breadcrumb and pecorino can easily feed two. But the smashed cucumbers ($12) with fermented garlic paste, Korean chilli and spicy seeds blew our minds with its refreshing and spicy kick.
Wash them down with local craft beers from Small Batch and The 1925 Brewing Co. Or try non-alchoholic options like Roberta’s cult favourite House Arnold Palmer ($5) with equal parts house lemonade ($5) and Earl Grey iced tea ($5).
We appreciate the competitive price point despite the location and its promise to recreate the same vibes and flavours of its sister outlets. But, maybe it’s our high expectations or the astounding pizza scene in Singapore: Roberta’s Pizza faces tough competition in its bid to stand out from its contemporaries.
Roberta’s Pizza Singapore, walk-ins only, B1-45/46, Galleria Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018972
