I have been pushing for this visit for a long time. I’ve heard good things, read good reviews and have to walk past the place every damn day on my way to/from work. Unfortunately, I live with a boy who doesn’t think that going out for Italian is a bowl-you-over experience. Well, I got my way.
After one slightly embarrassing ‘menu on fire via tealight’ incident (oops!) , we had the misto fritto selection of street food to share as a starter. Basically, I was indecisive and wanted to try everything. So: bolognese and mushroom arancini, breaded mozzarella, potato croquette, macaroni cheese and ham fritter, and polenta cubes. Oof.
The arrabiata dipping sauce was amazing – really savoury, with an incredible depth of flavour. I asked, and apparently the (now not-so) secret ingredients are cinnamon and star anise. I am so trying this for myself.
As a main, I had a pizza with smokey mozzarella and Italian sausage. The mozzarella gave it a really rich, distinctive flavour, and the dough was super light and almost as tasty as the toppings. The guy sat next to us was Italian, and I heard him explaining to his girlfriend that this type of pizza crust is about flavour rather than crunch. That's a trade-off I'm more than happy to make.
The only slight problem is that it wasn’t actually the pizza I’d ordered. There was also a pizza bianca version of it on the menu, which was what I’d opted for. When I pointed this out to the waitress (who was apparently new and still getting acquainted with the menu), she did offer to get it remade, but as my boyfriend’s burger was already sat in front of him, I didn’t really want to wait another 15 minutes or so before I could eat. But hey, it was good enough that I’m not dissuaded from the idea of returning. I think even the boy may have been convinced.
Something New Each Week 