Five minute before my evening’s engagement and haven’t eaten since seven that morning. Walking along King East near Church, and I spot a pizzaria claiming “A pizza unlike any other,”which seems like a bold claim, but if I can be fed in under 15 minutes, I’m on board.
True True Pizza is broad and deep, dim lit with the bright glare of halogen bulbs drifting out of their back kitchen, but for their main counter, very welcoming. I’m immediately fearful I’ve wandered into a franchise I don’t recognize, but my race against the clock means I’m willing to bet ten dollars that I might be fed. Could be dangerous though; a pizza unlike any other could yield very hazardous results.
Fortunately, aside from their signature pizzas that cannot be modified, I was able to make my own pizza for the same reasonable price, $8.5/14/21 (not sure I’m remembering that last one properly). I ask for the eight-fifty pizza and away I go.
Unlike most places that let you build your own foodstuffs, the limiting factor isn’t meat, but cheese. I could have gotten all six meats and over two dozen other toppings, and my pizza would have stayed the same price, which is a price scale I fully endorse. I can stick with one cheese and experiment.
So, Spicy tomato and pesto base, pepperoni, chorizo sausage, bacon strips, mushrooms, hot peppers, and fresh basil (put on after the fact, glory to them for asking “before or after?”), and I am set. My thin pizza, shaped to fit their angular, wedge-shaped boxes, is placed on a rolling oven (like those stainless steel bagel toaster conveyors!) and I pull off my scarf and go to pay, realizing how hot it is inside compared to the cold winter wind that’s rushed up on the city overnight.
Dude to a miscommunication, I’m apparently getting a bigger pizza than my eight-fifty should have gotten, but the cashier smiles and waves it away. I’m stunned, thank her, and sit to wait. Not five minutes later, my pizza is done and I’m off on my way. Incredible service and time, so that’s two out of three goals for a fast food place.
Eating on the rooftop nearby, my pizza is hot without scalding, crisp without being sharp on the lips and gums, plentiful with its sauce without being goopy. This pizza strikes a surprising balance, all of its flavours (two or three too many, my fault; be careful what you wish for) distinct and delightfully separate. Hard to extol balance in a pizza, but the amount of toppings used was placed in exact ratios to the pizza’s size. This may be a function of the franchise’s practices, but I’ve seen formal Italian restaurants uptown on Young make a mess of pizza ratios.
A surprising find for a dinner on the go. Have fun, make a good pizza or try theirs, be specific about your size choice at the outset.
True True Pizza
169 King St E, Toronto, ON M5A 1J4