Firecrust Pizza - Langley, BC

During Pizza Palooza organized by Van Foodster almost 2 months ago, one of our brief stops on the trail was Firecrust Pizza in Vancouver. I was very impressed with their product and in chatting with the manager, was thrilled to learn about their new Langley branch. Yesterday, my partner and I got to visit that store and can confirm that high quality pizza is now available in Langley. Previously, I was embarrassed and refused to acknowledge my maybe once a month Dominoes habit. That was before I saw that David Chang is an occasional, not so closet Dominoes consumer as revealed on "Ugly Delicious",  his Netflicks series. But there is quite a difference between Dominoes pizza and what Firecrust is striving for in their Neapolitan 'style' pizza.

Maybe the biggest single difference is the use of 00 flour in their pizza crusts and then cooking those crusts (and their toppings) in a 900 degree wood burning oven for 90 seconds. The result is a

Rosemary Ham and Pineapple

pizza whose crust is a little bit charred and has a lovely distinct chew. The crust becomes more than just a vehicle for toppings and is a wonderful element in itself. Despite informing my partner that pineapple was specifically shamed as a pizza topping on "Ugly Delicious", that is her go to, so that is what we ordered. A happy partner is more important than all of you believing that I am too sophisticated to eat such things (well, I already confessed about Dominoes , didn't I?) ! To be honest, it was tasty enough as the tomato sauce and Fior di Latte (fresh Mozzarella) and  rosemary ham made for a very good base. Neapolitan style a always little leaner on the toppings presumably so that the crust is not lost. All in all, a very good pizza. 

Prosciutto and Arugula 

We also ordered Prosciutto Arugula. There was quite a bit less char on this pizza (more is better to a point) and I assume the bakers are still learning their craft. I watched them minding and organizing the wood fire and performing a balancing act with three pies to give each one time in the hot spots of the oven. Not a simple process. This time the final 2 toppings, peppery Arugula and thinly shaved and excellent Prosciutto were added after the crust, cheeses, olive oil and garlic are baked. Again beautiful and delicious final product. 

Caprese (our way)

We decided to try a salad, a Caprese (labeled 'our way' on the menu) that came with a nice mix of greens including more arugula, some spinach, frisee etc. The star was the Fior di Latte. A very mild fresh cheese with lovely texture. Of course, we had left over pizza, having ordered too much but I am happily enjoying it for breakfast now. Line up at Firecrust and order your pizza cafeteria style. The staff are friendly and helpful. A few of the pizzas are available personal size and they also offer salads, soups and beer and wine and a couple of desserts.

The finished product gets delivered to your table. Then enjoy your pizza!