Mapo pizza restaurant for mushroom and cheese: Pizzeria O

Where is Pizzeria O Hapjeong Station?

Pizzeria O Hapjeong Station (핏제리아오 합정역점) is on the first floor at 14-5 Yanghwa-ro 11-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul. The original post lists it as 181 m from Exit 2 of Hapjeong Station. It lists hours as 11:00–21:30, with last orders at 20:30, and says it is regularly closed every Monday. Takeout, delivery, reservations, group visits, Wi-Fi, and high chairs were also listed.

What did I order with the pizza?

This time, I ordered Ppajja pizza, ricotta salad, and puttanesca spaghetti. The salad was refreshing, the pasta had a deep salty savoriness, and the pizza highlighted the nutty flavors of mushrooms and cheese. The three dishes differed in flavor and texture, making them good to alternate between, and the Ppajja pizza's crust was especially memorable as well as its toppings.

Does the ricotta salad come with fried dough?

The ricotta salad came with large pieces of ricotta cheese, cherry tomatoes, nuts, and dried fruit over greens. It also included fried dough, and the menu description introduced it as served with white balsamic sauce.

The fried dough was crisp outside and fluffy yet chewy inside. Topped with ricotta and eaten with the greens, its texture went well with the soft cheese. The nuttiness of the nuts and freshness of the cherry tomatoes also worked nicely, whether at the start of the meal or alongside the richly flavored pasta.

What does the puttanesca spaghetti taste like?

The puttanesca spaghetti is a tomato-based dish with anchovies, Kalamata olives, and capers. The noodles were generously coated in red sauce, with cheese and herbs on top. The freshness of the tomato was joined by the salty savoriness of anchovies, olives, and capers, giving the sauce a distinct flavor.

Each time I twirled the noodles, the sauce clung to them, so the flavor did not become bland through the last bite. I thought it would suit anyone who prefers a deep tomato-based savoriness over soft, rich cream pasta. After a few bites, having some ricotta salad made my palate feel refreshed with greens and cheese.

Which Ppajja pizza toppings stood out?

The Ppajja pizza is topped with ricotta cheese, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, Gorgonzola, and Kalamata olives. In person, it had several types of mushrooms and cheese distributed evenly, with basil leaves visible between them. Each mushroom had a slightly different bite, while the cheese carried through with a nutty, rich flavor.

The continuing cheese flavor could have felt heavy, but the cherry tomatoes and basil added freshness throughout. The salty olives also came through, giving each slice varied flavors. As someone who likes mushrooms and cheese, this was the combination I remembered most.

What was the texture of the wood-fired crust?

The restaurant information says that the dough is fermented in the kitchen every morning and the pizzas are baked in a 485°C wood-fired oven. On one side of the restaurant, there was also a photo announcing first place at the 2019 Pizza World Cup in Rome, Italy.

The Ppajja pizza had a thick, puffed-up rim with dark brown char marks in places. The center supported the toppings, while the rim was fluffy and chewy. The textures came together well when I ate the toppings with the edge of the crust.

Did the three dishes work well for a date meal?

I started with the refreshing ricotta salad, then alternated between the deep savoriness of the puttanesca and the nutty, chewy Ppajja pizza. Because each dish had a different flavor direction, I was happy with the combination. The pizza was easy to share by the slice, so I thought it would also work well as a date meal for two with pizza and pasta.