Give me the Doughed - A Slice of Naples
Pizza. One of humanity’s greatest inventions. It’s up there with the wheel and being able to put your phone on silent. Few dishes are as universally loved, with every city’s slew of pizzerias offering their own approach to an ancient tradition.
In the five months they’ve been open, Doughed has quickly become one of the most popular restaurants in Durban. Located just off of Florida Road, around the corner from some of Durban’s most frequented watering holes, restaurants, and coffee shops, the Gordon Road pizzeria is a welcome addition to the neighbourhood. On a Thursday at lunch, almost every one of their 45 seats was occupied by a wide variety of customers. Businessmen, couples, and groups of teenagers all congregated in the double-garage-and-garden-turned-restaurant to either see what the fuss was all about or to return to sample something different on the menu.
The Doughed journey began six years ago when Ishara and David Chetty went on honeymoon in Italy and fell in love with the food and the culture there. Particularly the nanas serving tourists their personal time-tested pizzas out of their home kitchens. The warmth of the people and down-to-earth environments left the couple feeling inspired to bring a bit of Naples home with them.
Doughed stands out from the already impressive crowd of Durban pizzerias by specialising in Naples-style pizza. The norm in Durban tends to be thinner crust, so their thicker sourdough bases offer a delightfully chewy experience. They don’t skimp on their ingredients, working with local suppliers to provide high-quality toppings and even going as far as to import mozzarella and parmigiano from Italy to add to the authenticity. Making the sourdough is also a three day process which requires an extra level of care and patience. With only nine pizzas on the menu, they’re dedicated to perfecting their double-handful of offerings rather than, uh, biting off more than they can chew.
Those offerings are some of the most interesting, exciting combinations of ingredients we’ve found in the 031. We sampled their Bianco Patate e Funghi, an absolutely incredible potato and mushroom pizza that is drizzled with truffle oil at the table, served with a side salad of leafy greens, apple, and cucumber, instead of the more common garlic and chilli. Next time, we’re going for the Luigi Kundan Lai, a slow-cooked butter chicken pizza that is topped with coriander aioli. We’re also excited to try their hand-made pastas – only available on Wednesday evenings at the moment.
After both Ishara and David had spent many years in the corporate environment, they decided to take a chance on their dreams. Ishara’s love of cooking mixed with David’s outgoing personality saw the two of them complementing each other’s strengths as they gingerly dipped their toes into the Durban culinary scene. They first provided cannolis to local eateries and coffee shops like Humble Coffee, before opening up a small fine-dining restaurant in their garage in Queensburgh – a suburb not exactly known as a culinary hub. It quickly became a destination on the local foodie’s radar, with customers coming from as far as Umhlanga and Hillcrest – an impressive feat, considering how much Durbanites hate to drive.
They expanded with a stall at KZN’s famous Shongweni Farmers Market, which was rather impressive considering the market is one of the most popular and successful in KZN, with a long waiting list of traders hoping to sell their wares. The experience taught them many valuable lessons on scaling-up their business and opened up their network to foodies from all over the province.
Now they’ve taken all that experience and put it into Doughed. It’s been a constant learning experience for the duo, with Ishara, in particular, a self-confessed introvert, learning to come out of her shell more by interacting with customers. We chatted for about 45 minutes, something she said would have never happened before opening Doughed.
Ishara and David are a prime example of what can happen when you steadily invest in your passions and slowly build on your successes. While Doughed might appear to be an overnight success, that success has been built on years of early mornings and late nights spent in the kitchen. Next time you’re in Durban, treat yourself to a pizza unlike any other you’ve had before. Just don’t be surprised if you have to wait in line.
Read the story on the Shelflife Magazine