KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — As I walk into the newly completed Tonda (so new the signboard isn’t even up yet), founder Alan Goh is hunched over the counter, fiddling with a pair of switches.
The long central counter is part of the open kitchen, with angled mirrors hanging overhead, designed to invite diners to watch their pizzas take shape, Goh says.
Officially opening on July 5 in Taman Desa, Tonda is the 34-year-old’s second pizza concept.
Round Pizza Napoletana in Happy Mansion, Seksyen 17, where he made his name, has been a cult favourite since opening in late 2022.
The Kuching native’s pizza journey began on a work trip to London in 2019, when Goh was still working in sales for a retail company.
“Pizza wasn’t something I was very focused on or clear about. I was young and just wanted to do and learn a lot of things,” he recalls.
“On that trip, I decided to take different masterclasses for fun and learned how to make tarts, butter, cheese and pizza, all in one week.
“But in just a few hours, pizza became my interest. Then it became a hobby. Then it became my life. And now I’ve opened up my own businesses because of it.”
Initially, Goh thought it might just be a bit of fun. But all it took was one bite, and he was hooked.
“When I ate my own pizza for the first time… this was something I’d never had before in Malaysia. I thought, ‘What is this? What’s so different? Why is it so good?’ It was something new to me, so I dedicated myself to coming back and trying to learn to recreate it in Malaysia.”
Angled mirrors are part of the restaurant’s open concept, allowing diners to watch their pizzas being made. — Picture by Choo Choy May
A few months after returning to KL, the pandemic hit. Goh responded by throwing himself into his newfound passion with abandon.
“I started making pizza every day, and I didn’t stop. To me, it’s all about practice. The more you do it, the more you understand,” he explains, his words now speeding up, his gaze sharpening.
“I tried to get really deep into it, understanding the flour and everything. I’m very serious about it. That’s how I learn things.”
“Until one day, I realised, I don’t have enough money to keep doing this,” Goh continues.
“So I decided to make it and sell it at cost. I put it all over social media and asked friends in the building where I live to come and try. I knew I was not going to make money. It wasn’t a business. Just practice.”
Goh spent close to two years doing this, getting feedback from friends and regulars, tweaking and fine-tuning along the way. He was ready for the next step.
“I had already bought a lot of equipment, and it was in my home. The decision was pretty fast. I don’t know, maybe I have entrepreneurial blood in me. I decided to buy a truck,” he adds.
“Once you put your money in, there’s no U-turn. You just have to go all the way.”
In March 2022, Goh launched Uno’s Pizzeria, his first foray into the pizza business, slinging Neapolitan pizza with soft, airy dough out of a truck in Taman Megah.
On choosing where to be based, Goh says it was a deliberate decision not to set up in a busier part of town.
“I have my own way of serving food. I didn’t want to choose a high-traffic area, because I wanted to create a more intimate feeling with people who came to me.”
Goh threw himself into learning how to make pizza during the pandemic. — Picture by Choo Choy May
Any food truck has its challenges, but pizza presents its own set of obstacles. Pizza dough, especially the classic Neapolitan style used by Goh, is incredibly sensitive to changes in temperature.
“Malaysia is very humid and hot, and the fluctuation in temperature in the truck can affect the quality of the dough.”
But Goh wasn’t fazed. He was already looking to the next step. “I knew it was only temporary. I wanted my own brick-and-mortar spot,” he asserts. “It was very clear to me that it was just a matter of time.”
Just three months into running Uno’s, Goh began laying plans for a permanent restaurant and securing a business partner.
Round Pizza Napoletana opened in December 2022 in Happy Mansion, Seksyen 17, serving a contemporary version of Neapolitan pizza.
“Uno’s was more classic… classic Neapolitan-style is very good, but at the time I didn’t see anyone doing a contemporary version,” he remarks.
“No one was really able to focus on it. I think I’m the one who started it. It’s a lot more difficult. It’s higher hydration, difficult to control by hand, and you need to really, really control the temperature. It definitely can’t be done in a food truck.”
In just under three years, Round established itself as a force in KL’s pizza scene, one of the early pioneers of the Neapolitan wave that swept the city.
These days, nearly every ‘artisanal’ pizza place offers something Neapolitan or at least Neapolitan-adjacent.
After starting from home, Goh opened Uno’s, a pizza truck, before finding success with Round Pizza Napoletana. — Picture by Choo Choy May
But even as Goh tried to balance evolving Malaysian tastes with something more approachable, the age-old adage still applies: you can’t please everyone.
“It’s not easy. I think it’s a matter of time and dedication to finding a concept that allows people to understand it better,” he explains.
“It’s getting better. Everyone’s starting to understand the specific type of pizza that they like, and where they like to go, now that there are more and more pizza places. I’m so grateful for that, because it’s a great way for people to understand.”
Not everyone is a fan of the puffy, airy style of dough at Round, however, and no one is more aware of that than Goh.
“A lot of guests go to Round and say, ‘I don’t like this, it’s airy, puffy, bready, feels more like bread than topping! I prefer it thin and crunchy.’ That gave me a lot of inspiration,” he says.
“Actually, what they want is Roman-style pizza. It’s thin and crunchy. You don’t like the dough at Round? That’s fine. We have Tonda for you.”
The name is derived from the Italian word for ‘round’, but it’s also a nod to the thin, crispy, circular Roman pizzas served here.
This sets it apart from the other popular Roman-style pizza, pizza al taglio, which comes in large rectangular slabs and is sold by the slice.
“I love al taglio, but I have to understand the market in Malaysia. I still do it for myself to eat, but if you want me to make a business out of it, it will be too difficult,” Goh elaborates.
“It’s a different story in Italy. People eat that every day. They can do it, because al taglio is best if kept fresh. The shelf life is very short.”
The Margherita is the benchmark for any pizza, according to Goh. — Picture by Choo Choy May
The space is starkly different from Round, swapping warm wooden accents for white tiles, marble and stainless steel.
Also, unlike Round, instead of a wood-fired oven, Goh opted for an electric oven, citing its ability to hold a temperature point with extreme precision for longer periods as ideal for Roman pizza.
But there are some similar offerings. “The Margherita is the benchmark for any pizza. Doesn’t matter if it’s Neapolitan or Roman, if the Margherita is good, you get an understanding of everything else.”
Earlier, I watched Goh make one. His fingers pull and press, stretching the dough deftly, shaping it into a thin disc with nonchalant ease. Tomato sauce, fior di latte (cow’s milk mozzarella), rips of basil and parmesan cheese, and loads of olive oil are layered on.
The pizza is done in mere minutes, charred and crisp, coloured green, white and red, just like the Italian flag.
Not content to stick with the classics, Goh includes a tribute to Rome with the Pepe, so named for the classic Roman pasta cacio e pepe.
“The idea comes from cacio e pepe, which is a really simple dish just using good cheese and black pepper. It’s all about skill and method,” he beams.
“When you eat pasta and there’s sauce left over, you dip it with bread, right? That’s the inspiration.”
The custom of scarpetta, the act of dipping bread into pasta sauce, provides the inspiration for this pizza.
A spin on classic Roman ‘cacio e pepe’, the Pepe gets whipped ‘ricotta’ piped on top after coming out of the oven. — Picture by Choo Choy May
Goh layers it with provola, basil, olive oil and a Sarawak black pepper-infused oil (a hometown shoutout, he says).
When the pizza comes out of the oven, dollops of whipped ricotta are piped on top, followed by a generous snowfall of pecorino romano, the traditional cheese used in cacio e pepe.
What else might one expect to see on the pizzas here in the future? “Something I’ve been wanting to feature is a famous local ingredient: belacan,” Goh chuckles. “It’s still in the R&D stage, and it’ll be tough. I don’t know, maybe!”
For now, Goh is focused on making sure everything runs smoothly. Tonda already has two outposts: one in Kiara Bay and the other inside Bambino KL, a bar in Bukit Damansara.
But this is the flagship location, and he wants the customer experience to be just right.
“They come here not just to eat pizza. It’s not just a food; it’s something that brings people together,” he explains.
“I always want to create a friendly, welcoming hospitality experience where people can talk to each other, come to my counter and talk to me, and understand how we make pizza. That’s why I wanted to create this open concept.
“I don’t look for success. I mean, I love success, but I like achievement more,” Goh muses.
“It feels great to achieve something. There’s no finish line to being successful, because I’m always evolving. But now, I’ve achieved something I like. There will be something more. It never ends.”
And long may it continue. “I love pizza. It’s my passion. Passion keeps me going, and I want it… I’m so eager to make it happen,” Goh declares, with fervour and zeal written all over his face.
“I just want to serve it. The vision is there. The rest does not matter. Hard. Tired. Stressful. Anxiety. None of that matters. I still like to make pizza every day.”
Tonda (officially open July 5)
28, Jalan 2/109E,
Taman Desa Business Park,
Kuala Lumpur.
Open daily, 12-10pm. Open till 12am on Friday and Saturday. Closed on Tuesday.
Tel: 013-218 2800
Website: https://linktr.ee/Tondapizzaromana
Instagram: @tondapizzaromana
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