The Great Pizza Challenge

The perfect pizza is a very individual thing. Heston Blumenthal even did a whole episode on it, personally I didn't think his was even close to what I'd consider the perfect pizza.

For mine a pizza should have a medium thickness base, none of this glorified water cracker stuff but also not so thick you could use it to cushion an egg's fall from the Empire State building. When it comes to toppings pile 'em high, loads of shredded ham and whatever other goodies you so desire. So basically anything they make in Italy or anyone trying to copy it is right out.

It's my belief that, like a lot of things, your idea of what constitutes the perfect version of something stems from what you grew up with. I still can't come at a fish and chips shop selling anything except fish and chips unless it's the odd pickled onion or a can of coke, but that's a whole other story.

So while back in Victoria for Christmas I decided to put 2 of my favourite exponents of the pizza head to head for a challenge; Godfather's Pizza in Leopold and Drysdale Village Pizza.

It was to be a taste off of the three classics, Hawaiian, Mexican and the classic Aussie, we also got various other specials, chicken pizzas plus the must have Ned Kelly. In order for true fairness though only the 3 common pizzas were head to head.

for those not familiar all three pizzas have a common foundation, a tomato sauce topped with cheese, and then shredded ham. The Aussie adds an egg to this, the hawaiian adds pineapple, and the mexican the most elaborate with chilli either flakes, jalapenos or both, and capsicum without the capsicum it's basically an American with chilli.

A few places throw some other things in there but this is the basica formula known throughout Australia.

The foundations of both pizzerias were very close, a good flavoured sauce and the right amount of cheese and ham cooked to perfection so it's crispy on top but not burnt. The Aussie and Hawaiian were again very close as well, both Hawaiians have decent size chunnks of pineaple not the crushed garbage some places try to get away with.

So the tie breaker was the Mexican, once agin both very similar, both places opting to go with jalapenos and chilli powder, but I'd have to give it to Drysdale Village Pizza becasue theirs was a little hotter and I like it spicier.

They were very close and either place I will definite look forward to visiting when back in Geelong.