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 fo...