A Slice of Brooklyn

One of Jay Z and Beyonce’s favourite modern pizza hangouts, New York institution Roberta’s arrives at Marina Bay Sands Singapore

FAMED FOR ITS wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas characterised by thin crust base and puffy, chewy cornicione (the edge of the pizza), Roberta’s was launched in 2007 in the edgy neighbourhood of Bushwick in Brooklyn. One could be forgiven for confusing a New York-style pizza and Neapolitan pizza from a distance. Both are round and rely on the same core ingredients, but in reality they are as far apart as New York and Naples. Roberta’s “pie” (to use New Yorker parlance) is Naple’s inspired rather than actual Neapolitan.

The first difference is swapping out the traditional pliable Neapolitan base for a sturdy, chewy crust that makes it easier for diners to hold a slice in their hands. In Italy, pizzas were served as single-serving dishes intended to be eaten with a fork and knife. When pizza became popular with New Yorkers, the city’s working class didn’t always have the time to sit leisurely for an entire pie. Hence, Roberta’s adopted this American tradition for its pizzas instead.

Arguably the originator of the Brooklyn hipster restaurant culture, Roberta’s and its famous pizzas put Bushwick on the culinary destination map. Roberta’s offers 10 pizzas in an inventive menu that spans classics like Margherita with mozzarella and basil on a tomato base, and signatures that have become synonymous with Roberta’s.

Robe a’s Signature Pizzas

Roberta’s was the pioneer of the honey on pizza craze long before other pizzerias started putting honey on pizza, Its Bee Sting is one pizza you absolutely must order when dining for the first time at Roberta’s. Sweet, smoky, spicy and cheesy all at the same time with tomato, mozzarella, sopressata, chili, and honey, the pie is analogous to our local char siew but with a pepperoni twist.

On the other hand, the Famous Original is a flavourful combination of three cheeses ‒ smoky caciocavallo whose sharp taste counterbalances the salty parmesan and creamy-chewy pools of melted mozzarella ‒ as well as oregano and chillies.

Combining mozzarella, creamy Taleggio, Parmigiano, black pepper and heavy cream, the most famous of the lot is the Cheesus Christ, a riff on the classic Roman cacio e pepe pasta that features Pecorino Romano and black pepper in a creamy sauce. It remains the best-selling pizza in New York.

Roberta’s uses a home-grown natural starter instead of commercial yeast, the same culture of wild yeast that went into the making of the brand’s first pizza crusts back in 2007. Roberta’s has carefully nurtured the mother dough for the past 15 years, and now uses it for its latest bastion of fine pizzas in the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

The Vibe

The fantastic pizzas are what keep you coming back to Roberta’s, but the cool, funky interiors are the things that will keep you from wolfing down these delectable complete meals (because you find all major food groups in a slice) too quickly. Artworks from home-grown artists are mixed in with other pop cultural elements that keep things interesting on the table and off. These works are special commissions from artists that Roberta’s chooses to work with to create spaces that encourage conversation, spark creativity and connect and draw in different groups within the community.

For the Singapore space, Roberta’s worked with Singaporean pop artist Andre Tan to create a bold mural entitled “Melting Pop” located at the front of the restaurant, drawing the attention of passers-by and anchoring his latest “Camocity” series of artworks at the restaurant. It is a spin on the phrase “melting pot” and is the artist’s commentary on the interplay of culture with commercialism. Inspired by streets in cities like New York ‒ in particular the walls plastered with advertisements and notices ‒ this approach is special to Andre as streets and public walls in Singapore are usually free of graffiti or advertisements of any kind. Like outlets in the US, Roberta’s in Singapore also features New York-based painter Jason Woodside’s signature creations to add pops of colour that are also reflective of aspects of Singapore’s vibrant cityscape.

Built on three principles ‒ good quality ingredients, good value and having a good time, Roberta’s pizzas range from $20 to $29 for 12-inch pies, democratising pizza by keeping them at affordable prices.

Slightly charred for that wood oven-toasted aroma, Roberta’s pizzas in Singapore are baked in the same Pavesi oven that is in its sister outlets Stateside. Early New York pizzerias often relied on coal-fired ovens to replicate the high-temperature wood-fired ovens of Italy. Over time, shops transitioned to gas-powered ovens. Roberta’s uses a hybrid wood- and gas-fired oven from Modena, Italy, allowing its pizzas to be cooked evenly and efficiently.

The Singapore menu excludes pastas and desse s which are currently only available at its US outlets. Robe a’s, 2 Bayfront Ave, B1-45, Singapore 018972