I have no idea why Peperoni Pizzeria named the classic Italian al cartoccio as ‘seafood misto’ ($34++), but I ain’t complaining. Regardless of the name, this hodgepodge of seafood swimming in a stunning, stellar broth that’s been wrapped and baked in parchment paper is indescribably indulgent.

Normally, the Italians would simply wrap all the seafood up and toss it all into an oven, but the seafood is all different and each has its own prerequisite cooking times. Fortunately for us, Peperoni wisely decided to cook each individual seafood component to perfection before assembling it all in the bay of broth for a quick journey into the oven instead.

The result is perfection. The prawns were fresh, firm and snappy, as was the squid. The huge halibut filets were moist and flaky while still managing to stay in a relatively intact piece, while the clams were simply perfect. But the winner is definitely the rich, sapid broth that’s just undeniably umami.

It took Peperoni months of research & development to get every single little detail of this dish right, from the time spent in the oven, to exactly when to put the butter into the broth. And it definitely shows, as the savory broth is so rich and luscious you would be forgiven for thinking that there’s cream within. No cream here sunshine, only butter. And it’s marvelous.