At Freckles, classic Italian flavours are reworked by Mich to resonate with Asian palates, layered with her light-hearted touch and easy, colourful presentation that draws strengths from different Asian-focused ingredients that offer both familiarity and twist to the pizza. “Everyone’s had a slice of pizza before, and each of us has a memory tied to it. We want to take that familiarity and gently push it somewhere new,” she shared.
Before the toppings come into play, she begins with careful attention to the dough. With a mix of local and Italian flours that balances between a traditional dough and a sourdough, the dough used in Freckles is fermented up to five days to achieve the desired texture: light, chewy, and never too crunchy. It serves as the foundation for their pizza recipes, where its little bumps that char more quickly under high heat result in dark spots, resembling giant dots of freckles. It became the inspiration for the name of the establishment, which is further translated into its cheetah mascot.
From there, Mich builds a lineup of pizzas that reflects her playful approach to flavour. Take, for instance, the Akami pizza. “We sprinkle our house-made furikake after the pizza is cooked. The nori is mixed into the base sauce. It is finished with fresh sliced tuna and a drizzle of sweeter teriyaki dressing,” said Mich. It also comes with a side of wasabi for those who fancy the extra kick. Meanwhile, the Asian Sausage Margherita offers cheeky comfort by swapping the usual salami with chicken lap cheong (Chinese cured sausage).
The sense of play also begins with the starters. For example, the Grilled Cabbage reworks kol goreng (deep-fried cabbage) into a crisp, savoury salad, brought together with Caesar dressing and XO sauce.
For something heartier, the Dry Mala Noodle offers a non-pizza option as a main. Served like a deconstructed dan dan noodle, diners get to work by mixing the dish — which features chicken lap cheong, pickled red onions, dry noodles, and a runny yolk — before digging in. The use of lap cheong becomes a running thread in Freckles, which Mich pulls from her childhood memories.
Beyond the food, the space itself carries the same light-hearted spirit. The compact space ties the Freckles experience together. The room comes to life with hushed chatter from nearby tables and the steady flow of the staff, whether it’s manning the oven behind the pizza counter or tending to the tables with easy conversations.It’s also an extension of the personality of Mich, where poppy colours and vivid fermentation jars are paired down with the wooden finishings, ensuring no one begins and ends their time at Freckles without a good mood.