With places like Anatoni’s, the recently opened RomEat and the now sadly departed Da Mara on my doorstep, it’s a rare occasion that I ever leave the CF24 postcode to get my pizza hit.
But, with socially distanced (pre-Fire Break) Friday night drinks arranged at a friend’s Pontcanna garden, it seemed like the ideal opportunity to pay them a visit. It also explains why my photos in this post are particularly shocking.
Having opened back in 2017, the Dough Thrower’s menu features both Neapolitan and Detroit-style pizzas.
Whilst the leopard spotted soft and floppy Neapolitan-style will be familiar to any Cardiff pizza fan, the Detroit-style might not be. Known for its thick, airy and crisp crust, this rectangular shaped pizza is traditionally topped with a lot of cheese and its toppings first before the tomato sauce is placed on top.
Interesting international flavour combinations appear across the Dough Thrower’s menu - Asian wedges, Southern fried chicken dippers, the El Matador pizza with iberico chorizo, and the Los Pollos with smoked pulled chicken thigh, were all some of the dishes which I had to pass up this time around.
A trio of generous golden-crumbed porcini mushroom croquetas (£6.50) were loaded with thick fungus funked bechamel.
Tennis ball-sized mac and cheese bites (£5.50) were even better, stuffed with a fairly loose textured mac with a good hit of tangy cheese and herb.
A Detroit pizza (£17) definitely looked the business having been topped with a fresh and fruity tomato sauce and double Monterey Jack, double mozzarella and double pepperoni. It was a seriously cheesy, fatty and meaty proposition with the golden caramelised cheese edges definitely the highlight as the base become a touch dense towards the centre.
In fact, it was overshadowed by the pair of excellent Neapolitan pizzas.
Impressively light and airy of crust, with a thin and floppy base, the dough had a delicate sweetness due to the addition of a touch of honey.
A Calabria (£13) was well-topped with a good quantity of fiery and fatty 'nduja and a drizzle of basil oil.
The Flaming Goat (£13) meanwhile was topped with creamy and funky goats cheese, sweet and spicy roquito peppers and a drizzle of chilli honey.
I was really impressed by the Neapolitan pizzas at the Dough Thrower and they certainly belong in Cardiff's pizza premier league. I hope it doesn’t take me so long to have another one.
The Details:
Address - The Dough Thrower, 591 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF5 1BE
Telephone - 029 20307295
I went here last year - had a cracking evening. Good pizza, good service etc..
ReplyDeleteI revisited a few weeks later for a lunch and was disappointed.
Pizza average, service average, and kitchen staff spent their time effing and jeffing in earshot of me and other customers.
It all felt a bit as the customer was unloved and uncared for...
A 9/10 experience dipped to a 4/10 at best.
Hopefully they're a bit more consistent now.