Local chef creates pizza ‘dough bowl’

A Maltese head chef, Antoine Borg Bonaci, has created a pizza dough bowl o share his idea among locals and foreigners dining at the Italian restaurant Bianco’s in St Julians.

This came about after several trials using the right flour for the pizza dough bowl which is used as a base and filled with different sorts of pasta, shell fish or salad.

“Before we presented our idea to friends, we initially tried to amalgamate the best recipe for the dough. We compiled all their suggestions before we proceeded with the right recipe.”

Lucam Borg, Bianco’s manager, said that he intended inviting a group of children from the Salesians Oratory this week, and let them be the final judges of our special dish, before we actually officially add it to our specials.

Mr Borg Bonaci said: “Part of a chef’s training involves learning the process by which new dishes are created. Restaurant and hotel chef jobs often require the conception and execution of new and exciting “signature” dishes that keep the customers coming back. “Very often a kitchen’s popularity depends on the chef who rules that kitchen. It can depend on one or two innovative and exciting dishes.”.

But how does a chef come out with new dishes, by accident or by experimenting? Mr Borg Bonaci said that normally new dishes materialise by trial and error. One thing leads to another and a dish is created. It’s nearly scientific.”

Bianco’s is open for lunch and dinner and serves many other dishes including the popular garganelli cartocio, which forms part of their summer menu.