A SLICE OF THE TOWN

Eight Pizzas to Die for in Guangzhou By Tristin Zhang A SLICE OF THE TOWN

If there’s one food that’s characteristic of the epicurean Italian people, it must be pizza. With both innovative and classic recipes, the pizza sphere in Guangzhou is constantly evolving. Below, we feature several of our favorite pizzas from some of the best trattorias in town. Buon appetito!

MAMAMIA

1. Parma ham, arugula and parmesan cheese; 12-inch (RMB130)

2. Porchetta and mushrooms; 12-inch (RMB90)

Open daily, 11.30am-10pm. Shop 405, 4/F, Friendship Store (IFC), 5 Zhujiang Xi Lu, Tianhe District 天河区珠江西 路5号IFC国金天地4楼405铺 (8708 5911)

MERCATO

1. Spicy salami, broccolini, housemade ricotta; 10-inch (RMB138)

2. Black truffle, three cheese and farm egg; 10-inch (RMB218)

Mon-Fri, 5pm-1am; Sat-Sun, 11.30-1am. Shop 802, 8/F, K11 Art Mall, 6 Zhujiang Dong Lu, Tianhe District 天河区 珠江东路6号K11购物艺术中心8楼802铺 (6681 8086)

DAFRANCESCO

1. Mushroom, ham, truffl e sauce; 9-inch (RMB88), 12-inch (RMB118)

2. Mozzarella, basil, tomato sauce; 9-inch (RMB48), 12-inch (RMB68)

Open daily, 11-1am. Shop G17, 17 Xingsheng Lu, Tianhe District 天河区兴盛路17号自编G17号弗朗西 斯科意大利餐厅 (3889 4035)

OGGI TRATTORIA (THE CANTON PLACE)

1. Mozzarella, mixed seafood, garlic, parsley, cherry tomatoes, tomato sauce; 12-inch, (RMB118)

2. Eggplant, zucchini, roasted bell pepper, mushroom, spinach, tomato sauce; 12-inch (RMB98)

Open daily, 11am-11pm. Shop 106, The Canton Place, Qingfeng Jie, Tianhe District 天河区清风街广 粤天地106铺 (3862 0240)

SEVEN CLUB Commune Copycat By Matthew Bossons

Zhongchuanhui Creative Park is undergoing something of a renaissance. Once the home of indoor basketball courts and a smattering of Chinese restaurants, the entertainment zone, which is located just a short walk from Haizhu’s second coolest party area, Taigucang Wharf, now plays host to several bars, a cinema complex, cat cafe, McDonald’s and a pretty swell Japanese restaurant. The newest addition to the area: a bar known simply as Seven Club. Located across from Korean eatery Jiangnan Benjia, Seven Club is a wel come addition to the creative park’s budding drinking scene.

Spacious and with ample indoor and outdoor seating, Seven Club has modeled itself off the ‘Commune model,’ with bottles of beer or spirits chosen and paid for in a semi-enclosed area decked out with stand-up coolers. There are craft suds, and bigbatch beer from around the world, as well as an ample supply of the ‘hard stuff’ – ranging from scotch to soju and everything in between. Beer prices are reasonable, although high-end whiskeys are predictably pricey.

Folks looking to avoid the intoxicating effects of alcohol can choose

from a variety of non-alcoholic bever ages, ranging from mocktails and juice to hot chocolate.

For those that enjoy a little sustenance while hitting the bottle, Seven Club offers a range of affordably priced edible options. We start our visit with an order of the beer-battered fish fillet (RMB32), which comes in bite-sized chunks and drizzled with a mystery sauce (which we think is a type of sesame dressing). Strangely, both the species of fish used in the dish and the sauce are a mystery to service staff, but we enjoy it nonethe less (although we prefer the classic tartar sauce with our fried fish). The wild mushroom and bacon pasta with truffle sauce (RMB38) is another dish we’d order again, with a creamy, umami sauce and an honorable pasta-to-meat-and-fungi ratio. The Thai-style seafood fried rice (RMB38) and the German sausage, black truffle and wild mushroom pizza (RMB42) are both passable, although we’ll probably pass on them on our next visit.

In addition to the aforementioned dishes, Seven Club’s menu also features steak and

salmon plates.

Overall, we enjoy Seven Club and are willing to wager that it is the top drinking spot in the Zhongchuanhui Creative Park (a low bar to pass, to be fair) and possibly even the Shayuan area at large. While it could be argued the establishment is a bit of a Commune copycat, we find the service prompter and staff more attentive than at Commune. We also found Seven Club’s open, beer hall-like main space to be more jovial and, well, communal.

Price: RMB75-100 per person Who’s going: people not willing to cab to the nearest Commune location Good for: beers, mocktails, passable pub grub at a reasonable price Nearest metro: Shayuan (Exit B), 10 minutes

Open daily, 10-3am. 139 Gexin Lu, Haizhu District 海珠区革新路 139 号 (3900 0070)