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A long way from the clinically clean, over-designed chains that we have become used to over the years. This is a chaotic little place in Battersea, the tables crammed in, loose wires hanging from the ceiling and Italian waiters running around and shouting as only Italians can. The tables are basic and small, and the pizzas themselves arrive on battered plastic trays rather than plates. It is a long time since I have seen a wine list that said “champagne” – that is it, no country, let alone a brand. To start with there are many antipasti dishes for which you have to walk around, squeeze past a few tables and choose by looking at the food on a series of trays: this changes regularly but is mix of salads and dishes that are heated up e.g. some warm vine leaves with red chillies, which was adequate but no more (0/10). Pasta is rather better e.g. spaghetti that is clearly home made and has good consistency, with a simple tomato sauce having plenty of real tomatoes (1/10). However the reason people come here is for the pizzas, cooked in a wood-burning oven and of the classic style: thin crusts, traditional toppings.
It is popular to order pizzas for the whole table, and judging by the other tables “a metre of mushroom pizza” would be an entirely appropriate order. The pizzas were indeed way better than the norm, the base thin and light, the ingredients fresh. Service was frantic but charming, and when the bill was delivered there was an original gimmick: you choose a number from 1-90 and draw from a container – if you guess right, the bill is on the house. On my last visit my knife was not exactly glistening, and our pizza tray had part of its surface missing, exposing the bare wood underneath, which made it look actively infectious, and so cleanliness was really my only concern about the place; still, not many bacteria survive a pizza oven. This had a fun atmosphere and was good value. |
