PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAFirestone tends to fill up fairly quickly and has limited seating in the narrow galley-style restaurant, so get in early. The young and trendy come here before a late night out, the locals come for takeaway, and those of us that have to work to live come for no-nonsense pizzas. Even when full, the service rarely fails to be polite, informative and personable. The cooks slave away out the back to deliver piping hot pizzas straight from the wood fire in very little time, even when Firestone is packed. And it can get
packed. Weekday lunches are filled with colleagues enjoying the
savoir vivre, and at night there will often be a queue down the street. All for good reason.
The pizza menu is full of the “classics”: Hawaiians, Margheritas, Neapolitans; as well as some lesser known favourites: Romana or Viennese. However, since none of the pizzas on the menu are named, it’s easiest to ask for a “number eight”. Unfortunately, all of the pizza toppings are rather derivative and there are no regional variants, such as blond pizzas or Sicilian-style pizzas. Firestone does good pizza, not traditional pizza. Least traditional of all, though, are the dessert pizzas. The waitresses describe them as “big pancakes with sweet toppings”, which makes it easier for those of us who are less adventurous. But if you take a chance, Firestone’s dessert pizzas will astound!
Russell Buzby, September 2009