Located at the revamped Margaret Market near Queenstown MRT, Fernando's offers polished New-York pizzas in a wide range of flavours - 18 different varieties! - guaranteed to suit every tastebuds. Excited to sample as many as we could, we went with three half-and-halfs ($29 each) with the following:
- The Trio at Trio (Cream Cheese | Cherry Tomato | Basil). The good ol tripartite of cheese, tomato and basil. Simple but good, although I would have preferred mozzarella cheese and plumper tomatoes.
- Mario Mushroom Kingdom (Mozzarella | Roasted Seasonal Mushrooms | Chicken Sausages | Sautรฉed Shallots | Truffle Oil). Can't go wrong with mushrooms on cheesy base, and I appreciated the different mushroom types used.
- Cheese It Up (Mozzarella | Bresse Bleu | Fontina | Red Cheddar). Great with the hot honey. But can't compare with Pizza 4P's rendition, if you have been and wanted a comparison.
- Luigi Green Pesto (Provolone Cheese | Mushrooms | Walnuts | Tomato | Rosemary | Pesto). Love anything pesto, but this could use more.
- Where's the Beef (Mozzarella | Braised Beef | Mushrooms | Red Onions | Red Bell Pepper | Cherry Tomatoes | Rosemary | Parmesan). True to its name, we were left wondering about the smatterings of beef. Also, using braised beef is pretty curious; perhaps beef mince would be a better fit for pizza.
- Prince Roni (Mozzarella | Pepperoni | Oregano | Chilli Oil). Not a big fan of pepperoni so can't comment.
We also shared two lasagnas - Garfield's Favourite ($19) and Creamy Chicken ($19). Sorry Garfield, we preferred the chicken one more as the beef ragu, although rich and delicious, fell a little flat after a while as compared to the chicken with its muti-layered dimensions from the cream and spinach mixed with the tomato sauce.
For sides, we had the Central Park Salad ($14) - good but c'mon, you can probably make enough salad to feed 2 families at this price, Pigs in a Cheesy Blanket (5 pcs for $12) - juicy meatballs but disappointed by the small portion, and the NY-Style Calamari ($14) - tender squid but the batter was just bland and in the way.
There were some hits and misses but overall, Fernando's would be a great place for pizza if you're in the area. Although the tables in their store space can get a little cramped, you can also choose to have your pizzas in the central area and just enjoy the hustle and bustle of Margaret Market. Make it a full blown spread too with drinks and dessert from the neighbouring stores!
Thanks Burpple for the invited tasting!
