Feels like it's been a century since I went on one of my trademark maniac quests to explore one of my truest loves: pizza. While even approaching the level of replicating tasting 70+ places in the span of four months is a tad ambitious (just a tad), the fire still burns within. Since my initial Pizza Quests in 2018 and late 2019, a bunch of new and intriguing pizza joints have opened and as a self-determined expert... my expertise is clearly required. So lets do it!
Rorschach Brewery is a little delightful brewpub tucked away on Eastern Avenue, slightly west of Coxwell here in the east end of Toronto. They've been around for the better part of a decade now, although I've traversed the stretch of Eastern long enough that I recall before Rorschach there was some kind of specialty wine bar occupying the very out-of-place narrow house right at that bend in the road. Rorschach is certainly a more accessible destination than its previous tenant, offering compelling in-house brews with complex monikers during all days of the year (I went there on a lonely Christmas, fer Christ's sake... see what I did there).
Once I learned they were now offering pizza (via Instagram)... well clearly I had to try this new offering of theirs as soon as possible. Several months later... I picked up one of their pies and took it to one of my favourite spots in Ashbridges Bay, hoping this would be a tasty meal before a softball doubleheader.
A complaint I've found myself having lately with a few higher quality pizzas is how damn tough and chewy they are, especially in the centre. Like, to the point that my jaw is sore halfway through. Is this because I don't chew gum? My jaw muscles are simply out of shape? Regardless, the tough texture is the major failure of this pie. Botham's in the Junction had a similar issue when I tried them a couple years back... you can have excellent flavour but when it actually becomes physically uncomfortable to eat your product? You're not quite hitting a home run.
With that in mind, we can call Rorschach pizza a solid double. The intense chewiness of the centre of the pie aside, this is a quality pizza. It's rather odd that the puffy outer crust is actually soft, lightly charred and delightful, while the thin middle is tough and intense. Flavour-wise... the tomato sauce is excellent. It appears in splotches rather than being lazily rubbed into the pre-baked dough, which allows it both to become an additional topping in a way and let its earthy, almost nutty flavour to shine through on particular bites.
The salami is thinly sliced to the point of happily and saltily dissolving in your mouth, while the cheese has that fine texture of almost expanding on your tongue with butter, as a good mozzarella should. The spice (you can see the peppers of course) oozes more into the complexion of the pie rather than dominate the overall flavour. You get some heat when you bite into an actual chili or jalapeno of course, and there's also a bit of sweetness (honey drizzle?) that cuts into the spice to provide an additional flavourful layer.
Also, a quick shoutout to the garlic dipping sauce. Definitely a thinner concoction, with a nice little garlicly sting that reminds me of a pizza place in Vancouver with arcade machines I visited with my Nana as a child. Pardon the randomness of that description, it's a specifically thinner, not creamy dip that immediately brought that almost forgotten memory to my mind.
Man, if this thing wasn't so damn chewy (and expensive... I get food costs are high but damn)... Rorschach pizza would place quite highly on my Toronto Pizza List... potentially Top 25 (I've tried over a 100 spots, it's definitely a compliment). Alas... that toughness did deplete my enjoyment of the other elements, which is a shame.
Still, there is enough high-quality craft and ingredients here to give them at least a 'B'... landing them on the fringes of my Top 50 I believe. Solid pizza with a major flaw, but their in-house brewed beer is definitely worth a trip regardless. Great spot.
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