In a city already burgeoning with pie options, Pizza Studio Tamaki lands in Singapore to remind us that sometimes the best pizza isn’t Neapolitan at all — it’s Tokyo’s unapologetically heretical take on it.
There are pizzerias that dedicate themselves to being properly Neapolitan. Then there’s Pizza Studio Tamaki, a Tokyo pizzeria that looks at Naples, shrugs politely, and says, sumimasen, we can do better.
When Tsubasa Tamaki — a man who has likely spent more time thinking about flour than most people spend thinking about life — first lit his Stefano Ferrara Forni oven in Tokyo’s Roppongi back in 2017, few expected a Japanese pizzaiolo to rewrite the Neapolitan rulebook.
Yet that’s exactly what he did, giving rise to an entirely new category of pizza called the “Tokyo Neapolitan”, a style that sits somewhere between the blistered drama of Naples and the Zen balance of Japan.
Many accolades later — it’s now Michelin Bib Gourmand-anointed, and also a regular on the 100 Top Pizzas in the World list — the man has finally spread his empire of lightly-charred perfection to Singapore, opening up earlier this year specifically on that stretch of Tanjong Pagar Road where the now defunct Tippling Club used to sit.
RIP molecular foam, long live gluten.
Let’s start with the crust, the very soul of Pizza Studio Tamaki. Tamaki uses dough that’s aged for 30 hours to strike that elusive balance between lightness and chew. And when it hits the Okinawan salt-kissed base of the wood-fired oven, it balloons, blisters and sighs into existence. When it finally emerges from its blazing hot womb under the exacting supervision of pizzaiolo Ryosuke Tanahara — Tamaki’s protégé — each pie feels alive; air pockets crisp, crumb tender, the kind of crust that insists you finish even the puffy edge, carb allowance be damned.
Start with the signature Tamaki pizza; this is minimalist ode of sweet Italian datterini cherry tomatoes, smoked mozzarella, pecorino romano, and basil distils Tamaki’s entire philosophy: simple ingredients elevated through balance and burn. Elsewhere, the Margherita di Buffala is pure dairy seduction, while the Bismarck — topped with premium Hinata egg and earthy mushrooms — begs you to sink every slice of it.
The one that does me in? The Arrabbiata, which bit me back with its spicy house-made nduja and oven-dried chilli padi flakes — the latter a Singapore-specific tweak — that somehow feels entirely right with the addition of punchy Aomori garlic.
If the pizzas are Tamaki’s haiku, the appetisers at Pizza Studio Tamaki are the spaces that punctuate in between carefully crafted lines. The Spinach with Marinated Anchovies, Red Chicory and Pine Nuts hums with umami and crunch, while the Meatballs in Tomato Sauce comfort the soul like a warm hug from Nonna.
And that House-made Tiramisu? Let’s just say you should save some space for it.
Don’t sleep on the drinks, which play a best supporting role. Aside from a range of vino, you’ll want to wash your pie down with cocktails like Shikuwasa Highball (Kakubin whisky, shikuwasa, and soda) or the summer in a glass that’s Umeshu Spritz (umeshu and prosecco).
The Okinawan Old Fashioned (Maker’s Mark, Okinawan brown sugar, vanilla bitters)? Perfect with dessert.
In a city already groaning under the weight of imported fast food pizza franchises and “artisanal” pie joints alike, Pizza Studio Tamaki feels like a welcome breath of wood-smoked air. Tamaki doesn’t mimic Naples. He isn’t inclined to try, and here’s the funny thing: he hadn’t ever been to the home of Neapolitan pizza before he opened PST in any case.
And maybe that’s why it works. There’s no slavish devotion, no performance of authenticity. Just an obsessive man with an oven, a philosophy, and a dough so good it borders on religion. When it comes to Tokyo Neapolitan pizza, this hymn to craft and combustion is proof that sometimes, heresy tastes better than faith.
Pizza Studio Tamaki Singapore
Address 38 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088461 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 12pm to 3.30pm and 5pm to 10pm Mondays to Thursdays; 12pm to 3.30pm and 5pm to 11pm on Fridays; 12pm to 11pm Saturdays and Sundays
Tel (65) 8072 9512
Facebook pizzastudiotamakisingapore
Instagram @pst.singapore
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