FIAZZA FRESH FIRED - Ottawa ON (Westboro)

 From December 26th 2020 to February 25th 2021, Ontario was on lockdown due to increased COVID-19 cases. That meant my workplace shutdown. When the lockdown was lifted, we went back to work, but before we reopened our doors to the public, we had to go in and reclean and prepare everything.

My boss said lunch was on her. Then it was a challenge to find something we could all eat (some vegetarians, a vegan, meat eaters etc). In the end, pizza was chosen, and the place was Fiazza Fresh Fired because they had Vegan options, and people seemed excited. I went a slightly different route than everyone else though ...

I've had Fiazza pizza before; wood oven cooked pizza that you pick your own or choose from selected pizzas. It was ok when I had it, but nothing special I found. But keeping my price point in line with everyone else's orders, I looked to try their wings and salad.

The menu listed two types of wings: both "Fire Roasted" but one was "Fiery" and the other "Herb". Well I was getting Fiery for sure. Plus I got a small Caesar Salad. Most everyone else got pizza. After ordering my manager went for pickup. A long while later, our food arrived (I'm not sure if it was a food delay or a manager delay).

Due to COVID safety measures, we didn't eat together, but the impression I got from everyone was that they enjoyed their personal sized pizzas. My order was a tin of wings and a box of salad. My boss also sprung for some dipping sauces, and I grabbed the Fiery Dip.

The Caesar Salad looked great - fresh lettuce, real chopped up bacon, homemade looking croutons. The dressing was in a plastic container, and also looked house made. I poured it on, then squeezed some lemon onto it. I was met with a salad I did not like. I'm not sure if it was the kale or the dressing, but something was terribly bitter. Like bad. The dressing was very very garlicky and thick, and it was good, but the acidity in the lemon wedge was needed to cut it back. The bacon and croutons ended up being the highlights.

Next up was the wings, and I was torn about how these were going to turn out. I mean, wood fired wings sounds really good ... but the condensation heavy plastic lid didn't get me excited for the wings. 

The wings come in a 1.5 pound order, which turned out to be about 12 wings. There were no sides, although as mentioned my boss had paid for some extra dips. 

The wings were small in length, but had a decent meatiness for their relatively small size. I questioned whether these wings actually weighed up to 1.5 pounds. I really question that.

The skin was tough and not crispy but also soggy from all the condensation from the container lid. The meat was tough and dried out. Like really dried out. It was a struggle to pull the bones apart. I don't know if that was because of the transportation time or just baked wings that aren't brined or whatever, but the texture of the wings was a big fail.

What also surprised me about these wings were the flavour. I mean they looked so good, like they were rolled in spices and flame kissed; but there was no flavour at all. They weren't smokey, spicy, or tasty. They didn't really taste like much at all. 

I was really disappointed in the state these wings were in. No spice, no flavour, and a texture that was just not working.

I still had the dip on the side. The Fiery Dip was made with Sriracha, Mayo, and Soya and is "Made fresh in-house." It was kinda pink, runny, yet slightly thick. I did a little taste test (because the Soya made me wonder if it was any good) but you know what, it was good! So I dumped that all over the wings.

This dip saved my lunch. It was so creamy, tasty, and even had a bit of a zip. At least my wings had flavour, but it couldn't help the texture problems. It wasn't magic, but it made me happy at least to finish the meal.

FINAL SCORE:

Fiazza did not do well with me on this meal. The Caesar salad was uncomfortably bitter, but the fresh bacon and croutons helped. The wings were pretty badly executed all around: no flavour, no spice, and the texture was dried out, tough, and just unenjoyable. The Fiery Dip was the only redeeming part of the wings, and that technically wasn't part of the wings. I applaud the attempts at fresh and house-made, but for whatever reason, the meal was a thumbs down for me. But I really appreciate that work paid for it, so then, how bad can free wings really be? 3/15

Fiazza Fresh Fired
205 Richmond Road, Ottawa ON (Westboro location)
fiazza.ca