Mia Pizza - Kumamoto

If there is one thing that Kumamoto isn’t short of, it’s great places to eat. Tonight, we checked out a local pizza place that is located dangerously close to our home. Mia Pizza is based in a road-side trailer near Route 3 of Kumamoto (address: 6-11 Minamitsuboimachi, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto.) From the road it doesn’t look like much, but as you approach, you can see the seating area behind that beckons you into its cosy folds. Made from plastic walled gazebos, the seating area is decked in outdoor benches, thick blankets and a kerosene heater that makes the 10-seater grotto a comfortable diner.

Trained in Italy, the owner produces pizzas of a professional, authentic standard – just like a real Italian pizzeria; expect perhaps that these delectable concoctions are smothered in twice as much cheese as you get in Italy. There are nine set options to choose from, as well as lunchtime sandwich options and side orders. Sasha picked the number one recommended flavour – Porcini. The topping was so buttery it was like a Cream of Mushroom tinned soup had been poured on top of it. The mushrooms were more than mere slices – thick, meaty wedges adorned the pizza, nestled in a bed of delicately puckering cheese.

For me, the second favourite of recommended dishes – Shrimp and Tomato-Basil. Delicious. Sizable prawns surrounded by a generous helping of cherry tomatoes (which I’ve been missing from my frequent diet as quality tomatoes are fairly pricey here.) Lashings of basil leaves swimming in the oily cheese, which lay more than 5mm thick on the pizza. Of the dough, I can say nothing but praise – the base was as thin as a proper Italian pizza should be, but ballooning and spongy round the outside, with the underside of the pizza made even more yummy with the slight charring from the oven (or am I the only one who likes my pizza a little bit burnt underneath? Love it.)

What a treat! We’ve been looking forward to our pizza outing for weeks now. Price wise, we both had the medium size (1,400 Yen per pizza) and in my opinion the size was more than sufficient. A smaller size is available for 800 Yen and a large size (feeding 2-3 people – or one very hungry Celia) for 2,000 Yen. Other flavours available – Bismarck, Margarita, Shrimp and Avocado, 4 Cheeses, Piccante, Pepperoni, and finally, Yuzu and Chicken (which is the next on my hit-list.) Can’t wait for our next visit to Mia Pizza! If you want to visit their Facebook page… https://www.facebook.com/mia.pizza.jp