What happens when you combine two of the most popular foods in North America, burgers and pizza? Well... for starters a lot of licking of lips and grinning I'm guessing.
Finding both these delights on the same menu isn't all that rare: odds are that charming little greasy pizzeria you grew up closeby to did this very thing (although I can't speak to ever being impressed by a burger from a pizza place). Zula appears to be integrating these two popular food staples with a more refined dining approach, doing so successfully enough within two years to expand off of their starting West Etobicoke location (right near East Mall and Dundas Street West) to a second outpost considerably to the east on Dundas in The Junction.
I didn't try the burger, this being a pizza review and said reviewer only possessing one stomach... but I will say their truffle crunch (not a dessert) creation looked quite intriguing. Indeed some of the burger options featured Turkish, Middle Eastern and Maghrebi culinary elements such as a soujak patty or a shakshouka with goat cheese... not commonly offered additions to your typical North American burger.
Also, the name "Zula" itself in some Northern African dialects can translate as "brilliant" or "ahead"... quite a boast if that's what this restaurant was going for. That's one way to raise expectations.
One drawback to your restaurant having two attractions sharing the spotlight: it divides the focus. The burgers have some creativity, sure, but this shows in the somewhat limited nature of the pizza options you get here. A pepperoni offering, a three cheese, a margherita, a deluxe... all standard stuff... while the more off the wall ones, such as a potato and zucchini pie or a buffalo chicken one (no thanks), aren't all that appealing to me in 'an entire pizza of that' form. Sadly they don't offer slices (at least not at The Junction location which gives off a casual sit down eating vibe) nor did they appear to have a build-your-own/add toppings choice either. Having to go by the exact letter of the menu does take quite a bit of the fun out of it.
As such the only interesting choice to me was the Carne: Zula's version of a Meat Lover's featuring halal pepperoni with both Italian and Turkish sausage. The pizza was, despite it's standard 12" size, cut into six slices rather than four or eight... perhaps not ideal for sharing among a quartet of friends (unless you like arm wrestling to determine who gets the extra slices).
This photo does excellent work in showing the key flavour component of this pizza: it is exceptionally cheesy. If you like your pie gooey and chewy with those strings of cheese stretching the length of a baseball bat... this is the one for you.
For me... it's a little too much, enjoyable though it may be. Too much of one good thing and all. But it is good: not as heavy as you'd think considering the overpowering amount of mozzarella and it's a full flavored cheese (nothing cheap or plasticky to it). Meanwhile those bites of bread you do get are quite bright and airy (particularly the light-doughy crunch of the crust).
The brigade of cheese is (thankfully) countered by some strong toppings on here. Halal pepperoni doesn't quite have the same salty sting as its pork cousin, but the texture does have a leaner type of that crispy greasiness you like to see. A bit of Persian spice to it as well. The crumbled Italian sausage... well it's more like a crumbled hamburger patty than anything (considering the other half of Zula's menu it likely is). Still quite juicy and beefy. As for the Turkish sausage... interesting. Quite a bit of that specifically greasy Mediterranean smokiness to it, a touch of fennel... while the texture is quite thicker and fattier than the pepperoni had been.
All three of these meats work together quite nicely... the Turkish sausage gives the most immediately distinct flavour while the others more enjoyable via their pleasant feeling in the mouth (smothered in the cheese and all). This is even better on the rare bite where the tomato sauce is a presence: it's more of a sweeter type of sauce which pairs well against the cheesy, meatiness of everything else here.
Overall! It's not the most exciting pizza as far as creativity goes (a shame considering the various cuisines influencing the burger side) but the quality is quite solid, it passes the reheat test very well and it is quite enjoyable to eat on each bite, even once cooled. The amount of cheese is excessive and does feel like an artery clogger about halfway through a second slice, however... considering how they offer a three cheese pizza I can't even imagine what that would look like. Would it just be a melted brick of cheese with a sliver of dough on top?
Nevertheless... while not vivid the flavours are generally good enough to make this a strong "B" level pizza. It's unfortunate this location doesn't do slices as this grade and kind of pizza (ultra-gooey) really lends itself well to that. Even half an entire pizza of this is far too much for one sitting. A more than acceptable pizza option that could be quite a bit better with some tweaks and more ingenuity. Not a 'must try' but another one for the 'good' column.
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