La Perla

News flash: I love pizza. I love, love, love pizza. I know, one of the few out there. They say pizza is like sex: even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good. Truth is, I haven’t had many bad pizzas, or at least I wouldn’t call them that. However, there aren’t many that left me speechless either, not even in Italy. Definitely not in Amsterdam.

I have heard a couple of times that the best pizza in Amsterdam is at La Perla. This place is a 5 minute walk from my place, which I now know it’s a very dangerous thing. Last week I had a couple of friends over, and you know what it’s like with a group of people: one doesn’t like this, one doesn’t like that, one’s vegetarian, one doesn’t think a meal without meat is complete. So…pizza?

We went to La Perla on a Thursday night. Made a reservation for 5 people, which I recommend you do even if it’s only for 2 or 1- the place is very small and always packed, for good reasons.

The most important thing you need to know about La Perla is that they only cook with authentic Italian ingredients, meaning they actually import them weekly from Italy. For example, their extraordinary buffalo mozzarella is imported three times a week, to make sure it’s always fresh.

The second thing you need to know is that your pizza is made right there, right then, in a giant wood fueled brick oven – yes, you can watch how magic happens.

The pizza menu (the only one available for dinner) is split into 2 main sections: the classics and the specials. My friends had the stracchino e bufala, the quattro formaggi, the calabrese di spilinga and the porchetta di ariccia – two classics, two specials.

While the first two are keeping it simple with delicious, fresh, melted mozzarella and other cheeses, the calabrese di spilinga adds a slightly spicy salami and chilly oil, and the porchetta di ariccia is made with oven roasted pig from ariccia.

I have chosen a classic as well, the prosciutto san daniele. There was a party in my mouth. A good, good party. Just look at the picture…need I say more?

Actually, I do. I will tell you 3 things I’ve learnt last Thursday night after having dinner at La Perla.

1 – Yes, they make the best pizza in Amsterdam. Change my mind.

2 – Authentic mozzarella is delicious. It tastes amazing. It’s full of flavor, it has the perfect texture for pizzas and it enriches any other ingredient you combine it with. I always thought mozzarella was the most plain cheese out there – clearly, never had the authentic buffalo one before.

3 – Prosciutto, or at least the San Daniele one, is nowhere near as salty as other prosciutto I had. It was also less chewy. Incredibly tasty, but did not take over the taste of other ingredients. They all just combined beautifully, perfectly…you just have to try it.

Personally, I have zero negative comments. I know for a fact that if anyone ever asks me where to go for pizza in Amsterdam, La Perla will be my answer. My friends had one point to make: portions could be bigger. Sure, I could have also had another slice; but then again, it was so good I could have probably kept eating until passing out.

Could not recommend this place more. 10/10. You will find me there again.

Value for money: 10

Food Quality: 10

Location: 10 (Stadhouderskade 82A)

Service: 8

Website: http://pizzaperla.nl/

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