Built on a decade-old promise and dough-making philosophy, The Cicheti Group’s latest opening Wild Child Pizzette defies all conventions of a traditional Neapolitan pizzeria with big swings - on smaller canvases, at modern tastes.
“We’ve been ready and ramping up towards the opening for some time now, but the pandemic forced us to shift gears and focus on getting our existing outlets past the hump,” commented restaurateur Liling Ong on the decision to open amidst a frenzied industry finding its footing in the transition to a new COVID-19 endemic landscape. “The extra time, however, gave us the perfect opportunity to encapsulate all the lessons we’ve learned over the years, and devote them into refining a pizzeria and bar experience that is the sum of all our wildest imagination and best parts.
As its name suggests, Wild Child centres its food menu around Neapolitan style pizzette. Typically used to reference smaller sized pizzas, each pizzetta in Wild Child measures right up to a snug 10 inches – the ideal size for a single diner, and the perfect excuse to order a variety to share across the table.
The heart and soul of each pizzetta is baked on a slow-fermented, Neapolitan style crust that starts with a traditional Italian preyeast Biga and undergoes two stages of fermentation that takes no less than 60 hours each time.
The dough- making philosophy is one that chef Aun and his team of pizzaiolos have spent the better part of the last decade perfecting at Cicheti, and lends itself to a crust that—with mere minutes blasted in the wood-fired oven—seals in a unique flavour, imparting an irresistibly moist, light and airy texture that yields to a bite that's chewy yet crisp, all at once.
Departing from the traditional toppings that Cicheti’s pizzas are known for, Wild Child chooses to adopt a more modern flavour profile, while remaining decidedly and authentically Italian. While the menu still has a soft spot for a conventional Margherita D.O.P. pictured above (S$19.50) which offers the holy grail of tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, grana padano, and extra virgin olive oil to keep traditionalists in check , it also deviates into more playful variations such as Crispy Fried Margherita (S$21) which unabashedly dunks the pizza dough into a deep fryer before topping it with creamy clouds of stracciatella, sweet bursts of semi-dried San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil and thick shavings of aged parmigiana.
Old is spun into gold with Trio Formaggio pictured above (S$19), a three-cheese deviation from the traditional four cheese classic that swaps out the funkiness of gorgonzola with taleggio’s mild, fruity tang, while caramelised onions lend an irresistible sweetness to every bite. On the other end of the spectrum, Spiniata Calabrese pictured below ($19) is a feisty number named after a spicy salame from Calabria characterised by its fiery pepperoncino flavour. Topped with fennel seeds on a bed of fior di latte, the salami is blasted in the wood-fired oven till crisped at the edges, its intense heat sparing no subtlety with a heavy-handed drizzle of Sichuan chilli honey.
Eating your greens come easy with options such as Cavolo Nero (S$18.50), a pizzetta that bring out the deep and earthy sweetness of Tuscan kale with bright bursts of lemon and pickled onions – resulting in the perfect contrast needed to counter the sharp, intense flavours of bagna cauda and garlic confit. Peperonata (S$18.50) brings to the table a grilled summer medley of roasted seasonal peppers, onions and spicy jalapeño brought together with a nutty pesto spread.
a. 50 Circular Road, Singapore 049405
s. www.facebook.com/wildchildpizzette
t. +65 8587 5214 (Whatsapp only)
