Pizzeria Dihyang — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

Just not good. Not good tasting, not good value. My husband said I should give them feedback, I said "No point, I bet that they would just say "You are uneducated and don't understand our 'style' of pizza which is the real authentic 'style' it should be""

So... of course, seeing their response to past reviews, that is exactly how they have responded to others. Naturally then, I will follow the link they keep providing and dispute how they even match up with what the link says is Neopolitan style pizza :

There was no molten lake of anything in the middle of the pizza as described in the article in order to qualify as N-style. The pizza wasn't even hot. It was lukewarm. Maybe their pizza oven wasn't hot enough that night. Therefore the "soggy middle" wasn't because of the molten topping causing it to be soggy in the middle, it was because... THE DOUGH WAS INSUFFICIENTLY COOKED. You have a problem with the temperature of your oven.

Your pizza was too big, compared to what the article said the pizza size should be.

Uncut pizza is not for some stupid snobby reason. It is uncut so that the middle of the pie doesn't get overly soggy because of the molten topping which will seep into the cut crust. So since you didn't have ANYTHING molten on your pizza, you can cut it, since that is not the reason for the doughy bottom.

Fail on the "read the article link". Your product doesn't match the article anyway.

On to ... how does it stand on it's own. I got the apparently "special" pizza of the night. RM88.

the dough was not proofed enough. There was barely any rising of the dough from its time in the oven. It was just bad, tasteless pizza dough

CHEWY DAMN CHEWY with absolutely no crispy anything - you would expect at least some char to give a bit of crispy texture wise, but nope, none. It was like eating naan. Exactly like Naan. Except about RM84 more expensive.

Undercooked. Don't fool people. this wasn't cooked enough

No sourdough taste at all, if you claim this was long ferment

I paid RM88 for a pizza. I didn't expect a topping to be local chinese spinach. Seriously? If you are going to be authentic wth are you using cheap asian spinach for?

sausage was just middling and poorly distributed on the pizza

In conclusion. RM88 for a bit of flour, water and yeast, a few tablespoons of tomato sauce, a handful of cheese, one sausage and some asian spinach and some salt and pepper and herbs (i'm guessing)

We also ordered the Insalata Caprese. It was ok, but I don't understand why cherry tomatoes were used instead of the (more authentic, since you say you are SO DAMN AUTHENTIC) why are you not using full sized proper vine ripened tomatoes that have not been refrigerated? If I'm paying RM38 for this dish, that is what I expect. The mozzarella was generous, but that's all I have to say that's good. The quality of the Olive Oil is also questionable. While not the worst quality, it's not the best either, lacking that signature "bite" and depth of flavor that the best, true EVOO has.

Also... on the 10% service charge. Really? Because your waitresses were terrible. In an empty restaurant (we were the only table of 2), they didn't open the door when we came in or went out (expected at your prices and when it's empty especially) and we were served two bottled drinks with the bottlecaps still on. Did you expect us to have bottle openers in our bag or pocket?? My husband had to get up and ask you to open it since no one looked our way after putting the drinks down either. No apology for that.

Look... If you charge this kind of price - a pizza, a salad both shared and two nonalcoholic bottled drinks for RM80 PER PERSON, you need to step up your game or just go home and sleep. We ate everything because omg we knew what we would have to pay, but we will never be back and I feel very, very ripped off and cheated.

Whoever enjoyed their experience here basically ate with their eyes looking at the deco and set up or are your friends and trying to...

UPDATE:

The response to my original review didn't come as a surprise. What did surprise me though, was subsequently visiting not one, but two AVPN-certified pizzerias in two different cities in Japan, and finding that they delivered exactly what I described a good Neapolitan pizza should be (in my 'trendy', 'misinformed', 'Instagram' language I suppose). Whilst I found one to be better than the other, both crusts had consistent characteristics, and neither gave me a jaw ache at the end of my meal. And oh, both of them sliced their pizzas, I didn't ask them to.

I'm sure there'll be some excuse or reason as to why this was the case, or maybe these two pizzerias are just heretics on the AVPN list. Either way, I thought they were both worthy of 4-5 stars in the realm of Neapolitan pizza. And that's fine. Some do better than others, and preferences are also always subjective. That's why we have opinions and reviews - one can agree to disagree, and anyone certainly has the right to stick to their philosophy.

But it is another thing altogether, to be vehemently infallible solely on the basis of AVPN certification. That was the point of my original review. And thus comes the validation - that the AVPN status is being used at Dihyang to perpetuate and justify a narrative that their execution is never wrong, there is no room for improvement, and that anyone who disagrees or is critical essentially does not know what they are talking about. Quite an affront to other AVPN pizzerias who actually deliver better product, as I have experienced. But what do I know.

ORIGINAL REVIEW (still stands):

I'm a huge fan of Neapolitan pizza. I make an effort to find pizzerias that deliver this style, and I don't mind paying. So when I come across one that appears uncompromising in delivering the philosophy with the confidence to back it up, I had to see what the fuss was all about. AVPN certified? Cool. No customization? Check. No condiments? I don't do that either. No slicing? No problem - although a pair of scissors wouldn't hurt, but I can manage.

Let's start with the good:

Ingredients are indeed of high quality, the flavor profiles are correct. Toppings are surprisingly generous too, which is probably fitting with the price point. Very good selection of pizza, all the classics and variations are there. I thought the service was warm, and they even timed the pizza well, not serving it too early with starters in play. Cozy interior.

Now here is where the fundamental flaw is:

The heart and soul of a Neapolitan pizza, is the crust. It's got to be soft, airy, and chewy, with a puffy and pillowy edge and a very very subtle crisp on the surface. That unfortunately, was not the case here. The dough was firmer and denser than it should be, a telling sign is how it did not flop as much as you would expect. Whilst this is still generally acceptable, the edge of the pizza however - the finishing bite if you will, veered towards a laborious chew given the density. This, undid the whole package for me.

Is it good pizza in general? Yes. But is it outstanding Neapolitan pizza worthy of the price? No - that crown in the Klang Valley goes to Round Pizza Napoletana, whose execution is on point and at a lower price point.

This is where I feel the balance of authenticity, execution and groundedness are keys needed to deliver the intended niche. At prices that match high-end Italian dining, and with a strict code to boot, I think there's work to be done for the final product to commensurate. The execution will need to be perfectly spot-on at the very least. Or better still, elevated. The pedigree of being 'verace' in itself, and having the finest authentic ingredients, are unfortunately not enough in this case.

I admire the passion. But as it is, pound for pound, this was a bit of a letdown. I'd be happy to see them improve, but for now the...

90+ RM for a simple Margherita pizza is steep in any country in the world. On top of that, the crust was doughy and had no real structure or gluten strands, no air. The base was soggy, far too much sauce and the mozzarella had not been sufficiently drained so it created a soup in the middle. The tomato sauce needs salt.

At those prices you'd expect perfection.

EDIT: after readiing their reply i had to laugh. Thanks for the explanation. I used to live in Naples so i have more experience of eating true Neopolitan pizza than most people. Your pizza just wasn't up to scratch in my opinion.

Salt in the sauce is a very easy problem to overcome, just add more.

Many places in Napoli have overly soupy centre pizza's, but they are not places that people go to. Only tourists. Even places that serve fresh buffalo mozarella usually leave it 4-6hrs or even overnight to dry on kitchen towel to remove excess moisture. They also cut the cheese in proportionate size that it melts but is not excessively liquidy.

Pizzeria Port Alba has very soupy pizza, most Italians don't like it. Same can be said about Trianon. If you want some that are 100% pure local Neopolitan pizza with the VERA certification that do not make soup pizza here are some names that I have eaten at myself:

Di Matteo Al 22 Da Attilio Umberto Starita Vesi Sorbillo (even tho I hate sorbillo its not soupy) La Figlia Notizia Concettina ai tre Santi Olivia 50 Kalo Attanasio Del Poppolo 1906 Imperadore La Taverna di Toto

Shoudl I go on?

The true Neopolitan places have a ratio of cheese and sauce that retains the integrity of the crust and flavours of the pizza without having the whitish soup (from not draining your cheese properly or drying it overnight in the fridge), or just too much liquid from too much sauce. Soggy Yes, Soupy No.

The crust of a Neopolitan can be soft and "crepe-like", absolutely it is at 50 Kalo, but yours had no gluten structure or strands or air pockets in the cornicione, the crust (cornicione at least) should be soft AND crunchy at the same time. This is when the execution is right. I thought for a moment that maybe it is the humidity and weather in KL which is why you cannot achieve this, but then I ate a pizza at Round Neopolitan and they have executed this perfectly. So it is technique and not weather.

It's all good and I'm sure you'll continue to have many customers, so don't worry about my review, but I felt compelled to defend myself as someone who has eaten over 40 pizzerias in Napoli ranging from the best rated to the local hole-in-the-walls. I also have cooked Neopolitan pizza using a woodfire oven for years. I know Neopolitan pizza very well and have the right to be disappointed at what you served. Yes it is all personal opinion, so what I think is good might not be what you think is good, but thats what reviews are...