Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tissue packet down on the table to indi-
cate that the spot is taken). Then cruise
the stalls, checking out each one's spe-
cialty. Most vendors display a photo or a
sample dish to advertise their wares.
When you order food, tell the vendor your
table number, and your food will be deliv-
ered to you; you pay upon delivery.
These cheap-eats havens are found
more in residential districts than in the
center of town. Some of the best are the
Maxwell Road Food Centre
at the cor-
ner of Maxwell and South Bridge roads;
Lau Pa Sat,
at the corner of Raffles Way
and Boon Tat Street;
Chinatown Com-
plex,
at 335 Smith St.; the
East Coast
Lagoon Food Centre,
at 1220 East Coast
Parkway; the
Golden Mile Food Centre,
at 505 Beach Rd.; and the
Old Airport
Cooked Food Centre
on Airport Road.
(
Changi International Airport, Singa-
pore (19km/12 miles).
L
$$
The Inn at Temple Street,
36
Temple St. (
&
65/6221-5333;
www.theinn.
com.sg).
$$ Traders Hotel Singapore,
1A Cuscaden Rd. (
&
800/942-5050
in the
U.S. and Canada, 800/222-448 in Australia,
or 0800/442-179 in New Zealand; www.
shangri-la.com).
Street Eats
34
Neapolitan Pizza Pilgrimage
That's Amore!
Naples, Italy
In the 16th century, most Europeans con-
sidered tomatoes poisonous (tomatoes
are, after all, in the deadly nightshade fam-
ily). The working folk of Naples, however,
knew better—they ate tomatoes all the
time, layered atop yeasty flat bread.
From such humble beginnings, pizza has
spread around the world, giving rise to so
many variations that Naples's pizza makers
formed an association zealously guarding
the tradition of pizza Napolitano. Naples's
classic pizzerias serve only two kinds of
pizza—marinara (named after the fishermen
who traditionally ate it topped with toma-
toes, oregano, garlic, olive oil, and salt) and
Margherita (named after the queen of Italy,
with mozzarella and basil added to give
pizza the colors of the Italian flag). Crusts are
invariably lumpy, soft, hand-kneaded, and
baked in wood-fired beehive ovens; the real
purists use only local San Marzano canned
plum tomatoes and always drizzle the olive
oil in a clockwise spiral.
Pizza had always been a street-vendor
snack until 1830, when the first pizzeria,
Antica Pizzeria Port D'Alba
(via Port'Alba
18;
&
39/81/45-97-13
) set up a few tables
to serve customers. Port d'Alba still fea-
tures fine pies on its varied menu, though
many pizza hounds prefer the more casual
Trianon da Ciro
(via Pietro Colletta 46;
&
39/81/55-39-426
), also in the city's his-
toric center, Spaccanapoli. Nearby family-
run
Da Michele
(Via Cesare Sersale 1;
&
39/81/55-39-204;
www.damichele.net)
has a history stretching from 1870; some
say its springy crust is the best in town. If
the lines there are too long, head a few
blocks north to Spaccanapoli's narrow
main street via dei Tribunale, where you
can compare the pizzas of neighboring
archrivals
Di Matteo
(via dei Tribunali 94;
&
39/81/45-52-62
), or
Il Pizzaiolo del
Presidente
(via dei Tribunali 120/121;
&
39/81/21-90-03
).
In the via Chiaia shopping district,
Piz-
zeria Brandi
(Salita Santa Anna di Palazzo
2;
&
39/81/41-69-2
), founded in 1889,
invented the Margherita pizza. But locals
