There's a New Boy In Town...There are few sentences more satisfying in life than the words "...there's a new pizza place opening...". So when I heard about Mac's Pizzeria opening, I was understandably excited! Mac's is one of two new ventures in the city by the McGinty's Group (the other being The Esselmont), and it promises to bring authentic Neapolitan style pizza to Aberdeen, freshly prepared on site using the finest, genuine ingredients keeping with the Neapolitan style. We were away for the opening day, so we missed out on all the excitement, but as soon as we were back, we didn't hang around in getting in and checking it out for ourselves! Mac's operates on a walk in basis (but will take reservations for groups of 6+) so you just need to chance your luck in getting a table, however, it is huge inside, and we didn't have any trouble getting a table, albeit on a Thursday afternoon... The FoodMac's menu is simple, but that doesn't take away from how appealing it is. There are six starters on offer, along with a range of sides to choose from too. As for the mains, you get the choice of ten Neapolitan style pizzas, ranging from £6.00 to £8.50. Pizza no. 2, Mac's Signature Pizza is one that may immediately jump out at you with its Scottish twist of "Blaggis" - a combination of black pudding and haggis, along with Scottish white cheddar. There is also a kids menu available for the little ones. I opted for no. 7, the spicy one, with the ndjua sealing the deal for me. I also chose to add hot roquito peppers to it for an extra spicy kick. To wash it all down, I went for a pint of the Menabrea, an Italian lager. Kerry opted for the no. 2 (Mac's Signature Pizza), along with a glass of prosecco. While we were waiting for the food to arrive, I took the chance to check out some of the cool decor on show inside Mac's. It really is a funky open space, with quirky touches everywhere you look, including retro Vespa scooters and Italian football memorabilia. It didn't take long for the pizza's to arrive, and the minute mine landed on the table, I couldn't wait to tuck in. The waiting staff offered some extra black pepper & Parmesan, which we happily accepted, and I added some extra chilli oil myself to spice things up a bit more. I cut the pizza up with the pizza cutter provided and went straight in with my hands for my first slice - the sauce and cheese were sweet and tangy, the chicken combined perfectly with the ndjua and the peppers gave the right amount of warming kick and a slight sweetness. The base itself was cooked absolutely as it should be, with the perfect amount of char and chewiness on the crust to round everything off - I just wished I'd ordered some spicy ndjua butter for dipping. It's safe to say that there wasn't a scrap of food left on my place by the time that I was done! As for Kerry’s pizza, the Mac’s Signature Pizza, she assured me that she very much enjoyed it. I tasted it for myself, and whilst I definitely preferred my own, it was still pretty tasty. The only thing that I can really say is that I found that the “Blaggis” was quite heavy and and a little stodgy for my liking. As for the rest of the pizza - the sauce and cheese were sweet and tangy, the onions provided a sweet crunch, and the base & crusts were cooked perfectly, just like my own. The VerdictIf you follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen my verdict on Mac's - I loved it and I can't wait to go back. Sure, it may be simple food, but some of the best food around is simple! I feel like I'm enough of a pizza fanatic that I'm qualified to be a pretty good judge, and I thought this pizza was absolutely fantastic, and probably some of the best you'll get in the city. It's hard not to compare directly with Mozza, with to the Neapolitan style pizza, and I really like Mozza, but in my opinion - it's certainly every bit as good (if not better?).
I would 100% recommend checking Mac's out if you haven't already. It is such a funky space, with great staff, in a great location, and as I've already mentioned - the pizza is worth the visit alone.
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20/4/2018 0 Comments Mozza AberdeenThey're Mad For PizzaYou may or may not have noticed, but there's a new pizzeria in town. Mozza, a Neapolitan pizza chain has recently opened its doors in Union Square, Aberdeen. With three other restaurants in Scotland (Dundee, St. Andrews & Glasgow), Mozza promises to bring an authentic taste of Naples to the city. Part of the Tony Macaroni brand, it is the first of two of his restaurants coming to Aberdeen, with another set to open in Marischal Square later in the year. I'm going to be honest and say that when I heard a new Italian restaurant opening in Union Square, I was a bit sceptical as there is an abundance of Italian chains in there. However when I found out exactly who Mozza were and what they were offering - authentic style Neapolitan pizza, my view somewhat changed as Aberdeen is crying out for quality pizzerias as it's something we really don't have enough of. Pizza is without doubt my favourite food, so I was especially happy when I was lucky enough to be invited along to a "Pizza Masterclass" at Mozza. On arrival we were greeted by Steph, who organised the evening and Ricardo, the area manager who showed us to our seats at a very well presented table featuring individual name cards of everyone attending. After some friendly introductions before and ordering our drinks, we were ready to start the evening. The MenuBefore ordering our pizzas, Ricardo took the time to go through the menu and explain the story behind each pizza; the inspiration for it, the ingredients, the recipe & how they differ to other similar pizzas. The menu contains 13 different pizzas; 12 of them being described on the menu and "lucky 13" which is a pizza where the chef will create whatever he fancies at that time - a nice twist. The pizzas all sounded great & it was so hard to choose! In the end it came down to pizzas 5 & 10, with me finally opting for pizza number 5 - the spicy 'nduja sauce being the deciding factor. Ricardo then took us into the kitchen to show us how the number 2 pizza (margherita) was made. He took the time to explain the entire process from the dough to the finished article as the pizza was made by the chef in real time. It was extremely interesting & the fact these pizzas only took 90 seconds to cook (60 in the oven & 30 seconds in the "sky") blew my mind! The PizzaBefore our orders arrived, the margherita that we watched get made in the kitchen earlier was brought over to the table for us to try. After hearing so much about pizza and watching pizza get made I was more than happy to tuck right into a slice & it was definitely worth the wait. It tasted great, and a perfect teaser for what was to come next. When our main pizzas finally arrived, they certainly did not disappoint - they looked absolutely fantastic! The pizza itself was excellent, the base was cooked to perfection; thin, soft & spongy - just like Ricardo described beforehand, and the toppings brought it all together perfectly. The combination of the meat & spicy sauce worked together perfectly with the mozzarella & ricotta cheeses. For being such a thin based pizza, it was surprisingly filling - I was stuffed by the time I finished the last bite, but I enjoyed every second of it. For dessert, there was only really one option - the aptly named Birramisu that added a beer inspired twist to the classic Italian dessert, replacing the coffee with beer. And wow, what a tasty dessert! It was sweet, creamy & with the slightest hint of beer throughout the sauce for it to live up to its name. Overall I had a fantastic evening at Mozza & I can't thank Steph, Ricardo & the Mozza team enough for having me. Not only was it a highly interesting experience, I met some great people, enjoyed some drinks & of course sampled some excellent pizza. I will definitely be back to Mozza (the gold card I was kindly gifted will make sure of that) as it is easily some of the best pizza I have tasted in the city - Aberdeen is crying out for more quality pizzerias like this & I encourage you all to get along to Mozza and experience it for yourselves.
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