Borough Market Lockdown Hit ASAP Pizza Brings in Top Chefs and Aziz Ansari for Guest Series

That’s one way to secure a Netflix cameo

Borough Market lockdown hit ASAP Pizza has tapped Master of None’s Aziz Ansari, Quality Wines’ Nick Bramham, Lisa Lov of Tigermom in Copenhagen, and a suite of highly regarded chefs to roll out guest pizzas. Bramham leads chef Pamela Yung’s series off with a White Hawaiian, topped with bechamel, pancetta, grilled pineapple, mozzarella, Parmesan, Sarawak pepper, and olive oil. A blood orange iteration of portokalopita may also make an appearance.

Other guest chefs include the acclaimed Agata Felluga, who has previously taken part in sibling restaurant Lyle’s guest series; Mitshel Ibrahim, of Hackney bacaro-turned-alimentari Ombra; and Janice Tiefenbach of Montreal pizzeria Elena, which was part of Yung’s pizza-making background. Pizzas will come available each Thursday starting 25 February, with pre-order for delivery of Bramham’s pizza available from 19 February. Slices and whole pizzas will also be available for collection from Flor, ASAP’s home base, Thursday — Sunday, with £3 from each pie and £1 from each slice donated to a charity chosen by each chef.

These are entirely virtual collaborations and no travel is involved. Yung reflected on how COVID-19 has made long distances between cities and their food cultures feel, at times, much shorter: “Throughout the pandemic, it has felt as though the world is smaller and more connected than ever. We wanted to bring together pies from our friends scattered across the globe, so that while travel remains a distant dream, our guests can try new chefs’ recipes each week.”

With Ansari’s third season of Master of None set to visit London and its restaurants, the international-New-York-meets-London vibe that ASAP and Yung have carried from the beginning of its life only gets stronger. Get ready for the cameo when it’s safe to film.

And in other news...

• Spicy chicken nugget stunt merchant Wendy’s is planning to open in London.
• With any restaurant reopening expected to include long-term social distancing, there’s more pressure on the government to deliver financial support for lost trade.
• Restaurants reopening after lockdown wait for Boris Johnson’s roadmap.
• Rising food prices contributed to the current rise in inflation in the U.K. [Guardian]
• Good tweet: