Known in Beijing as the service-oriented pizza company with delivery guys flying around the city with their hot pink flags shouting Go! Go! Go!, Gung Ho! Pizza is officially a Beijing stalwart. I still remember when Gung Ho! first opened in 2010 and they first started sending out the hot pink hats!
In the intervening period, they’ve been quietly going about being awesome – obtaining B company status (look it up if you don’t know what it is HERE), and continuing to strive to improve their service.
And while I know that the company’s co-founders Jade Gray and John O’Loghlen are both Kiwis through and through, they’ve really taken Gung Ho! to new heights in recent days with more and more New Zealand products being featured on their menu. Teaming up some of New Zealand’s best F&B companies like Silver Fern Farms for grass-fed, free-range beef, Moa Brewing for their craft beers and cider, and Anchor for all their dairy products, it’s awesome for Gung Ho! to give these fantastic products a platform to really showcase their potential!
“Whether it’s grass-fed beef, sustainably grown shellfish, or even beer which – don’t forget – is 90% water, all food comes down to three things: water, air, and earth. And New Zealand’s got the purest of all three. We’ve been lucky enough to partner with some of these guys to get amazing New Zealand product to share.” – Gung Ho!
Gung Ho!’s Menu Highlights their Fantastic New Zealand Suppliers
The wines and beers are all multiple award winners and the tea macchiatos are something I’d highly recommend everyone try out, even if you love your booze. And when they brought me the Black Tea Macchiato, I honestly thought they’d brought me a beer!
Black Tea Macchiato layered with Anchor cream (RMB 28)
Gung Ho! is also serving a range of hot teas made with Zealong tea, grown in New Zealand and certified 100% organic! Here is a bit more info about Zealong Tea –
“It takes some guts to make Chinese tea in New Zealand and sell it back to the Chinese. Enter Zealong Tea Estates. Zealong’s premium tea is grown, processed, and packaged by passionate tea masters, from a single source in the pristine air and soils of Waikato, New Zealand.
It’s an unbelievably high quality tea, with absolutely no chemicals – certified 100% organic in both New Zealand and China, and one of the very few fully ISO22000 / HACCP certified tea companies in the world, the highest food safety standard in the world!
It also won first and second place in the 2017 Global Tea Championships. But don’t take our word for it, try some yourself!” – Gung Ho!
A Bucket Full of New Zealand Beer, Chilled and Ready to be Consumed!
Gung Ho!’s “Kia Ora” Set Menu
Rest assured people, I didn’t eat all the dishes you’ll see highlighted in this post in one sitting. I’ve been to Gung Ho! a couple of times in recent weeks, and have had the privilege of tasting a few of the exciting new developments at Gung Ho! For the month of November (sorry it’s passed!), Gung Ho! participated in the NZ Food Week and showcased a bunch of their menu dishes in a set dinner for two featuring four dishes and a choice between NZ beer, wine and that glorious tea macchiato.
Kumara Chips aka Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries (RMB 35)
The sweet potato fries come with a spicy harissa and cooling mint yoghurt dip, but they’re pretty moreish on their own, so you might finish them without noticing the dips…
Roasted Winter Salad (RMB 46/59)
A gorgeous salad with a nice range of textures from the fresh spinach, crispy quinoa to the soft pumpkin and sweet potato, this is a great winter salad.
Cheese Baked Mussels with Imported New Zealand Greenshell Mussels (RMB 38)
The baked cheesy mussels I must admit (for me at least) just can’t compete with the pot of mussels (see below). However, if you love cheese, then the baked mussels are still a great option as you’ll get a nice mix of both Cheddar and Anchor Mozzarella baked onto these massive mussels.
“Moa” Mussel Pot – Apple Cider & Cream Mussel Pot (RMB 88) & Crusty Herbed Flatbread
The most impressive mussel pot I’ve ever set eyes on, these fresh Ikana mussels imported live from New Zealand are a thing of beauty. Massive and juicy, they are soaked in an amazing apple cider sauce made with Moa Apple Cider (by Moa Brewing Co.) and sliced fennel. It’s a good thing that there was plenty of that herbed flatbread to soak up all that tasty sauce.
About Moa Beer:
“Proud recipient of more medals than the NZ Olympic team, Moa Beer is made the way beer used to be made before everyone started making it differently and buggered it up.
The Moa brewery is situated among the vineyards in the world famous winemaking region of Marlborough, New Zealand, which isn’t surprising considering founder Josh Scott is also a winemaker and the son of winemakers. In his own words: “It takes a lot of beer to make a good wine”. And vice versa too, apparently.”
New Zealand Lamb Pizza (Small RMB 66, Medium RMB 99, Large RMB 143)
The pizza is a genius combo – the lamb is tender, and the fresh mint tzatziki with grilled veggies gives a lovely counterpoint to the tomato sauce. A creation by Chef Rob Cunningham (who has since left Beijing), this is a pizza designed for Gung Ho! and certainly does the New Zealand lamb justice!
New Zealand Braised Beef Pizza with Balsamic Beetroot Chutney Base (66/99/143)
Using grass-fed, free-range steak from Silver Fern Farms, the base of the pizza features a sweet beetroot chutney relish and topped with Italian gremolata. The braised beef was also incredibly tender and a generous portion to boot!
“Silver Fern Farms is New Zealand’s leading producer of premium quality free-range and grass-fed lamb, beef, venison and a bunch of other stuff that tastes great on a grill. What makes it so great? Well, in NZ not only the air and water is the best in the world. Turns out, so’s the grass!
With a diet of rich grass animals grow strong, healthy and lean. The meat that is produced is leaner, more finely textured and nutritionally better for you. Compared to being grain-fed, grass-fed meat is lower in saturated fat, and higher in vitamins A and E, and omega-3! Plus it tastes better!” – Gung Ho! Team
Oven Roasted Veggies with Rosemary Infused Olive Oil (RMB 35)
I’ve always really appreciated how well-balanced Gung Ho!’s menu is – if you just want to stuff your face with pizza, they’ve got plenty in that department, but they also have a fantastic selection of salads and this Oven-Roasted Veggie dish is a great winter option and helps to keep your meal well balanced!
Kiwi Pavlova with thick Anchor cream and Gold and Green Kiwi Fruit (RMB 45)
Finally, the pavlova. It looks really pretty when it comes out, but that won’t last long. I have long strived to find an elegant way to eat pavlova and never succeeded. As soon as you try and dice it up, it inevitably ends up looking like you got drunk and dropped it on the floor.
On the plus side, it’s really good!
Choc Banana Calzone with Roasted Almond and a side of New Zealand Chocolate Sauce (RMB 30)
Dangerously addictive, it didn’t matter how full I was, I managed to find room to finish off every last bite and lick up every last drop of that imported New Zealand chocolate sauce. For me, it’s pretty tough to beat the winning combination of chocolate and banana so this was always going to win me over any other dessert option. And it’s that much more tantilizing to have all that goodness wrapped in this calzone and served hot.
Hot Apple Crumble (RMB 35)
Another dessert that is served piping hot from the oven, this gorgeous apple crumble is topped with a generous scoop of Chateau ice cream.
It’s great to see more and more high quality produce making it’s way into the Beijing market and it’s even better to see more and more restaurants able to do that produce justice!
Gung Ho! have come up with some truly innovative dishes here and hats off to them for pushing for high-quality ingredients that are from New Zealand, where Gung Ho!’s story begins.
Gung Ho! Stores:
Sanlitun:
- Address: Opposite Gongti East Gate, 101 / 3 China View Building, Gongti East Rd, Sanlitun
- Tel: 010 8587 1404
- OPENING HOURS: 11AM TO 11PM
Shuangjing:
- Address: West of Renaissance Hotel, 10-9 Fuli City, Xingguang Ave
- Tel: 010 5876 5262
- OPENING HOURS: 11AM TO 11PM
XiHongMen:
- LIVAT Shopping Centre, Level 1 Main Plaza, Xihongmen, Daxing District
- Tel: 010 6025 5565
- OPENING HOURS: 11AM TO 9PM
About Kristen
Kristen Lum has an accomplished background in PR, communications and events in China. Born and raised in California, Kristen has been based in Beijing since 2006 and is founder of the lifestyle blog called LumDimSum, covering mostly restaurant news and reviews alongside upcoming events around town that relate to Beijing’s muti-faceted, quickly-developing creative industries like art, music, film, health and fitness, fashion, nightlife, charity events, and travel tips.
