Pizza Rossa Leadenhall Market
4-12 Whittington Avenue, London EC3V 1AB
www.pizzarossa.com
When I’m in Rome I love to pick up a square slice of pizza from a street vendor for a quick, tasty and good value lunch. Fortunately for me, Pizza Rossa is now bringing the square pizza slice concept, pizza al taglio, to London and I was invited to the opening of its first pop-up venue.
With a 90-second turnaround from the point of ordering this is fast food Italian style but the real point of difference is in the pizza base. The dough is mixed in small batches, using an artisan proving process with lower levels of gluten, yeast and salt than most pizzas, and contains no sugar or preservatives. This makes the pizza highly digestible and low in calories. But how does it taste?
Well, it really is different to the chewy, doughy experience of most pizzas. The base is more like a flatbread and is really soft and easy to eat even with toothache!
As for the toppings, I can recommend the house Pizza Rossa which is satisfyingly rich and tomatoey, the Vegetariana with its melt-in-the-mouth grilled aubergine and the delicious cherry tomato and buffalo mozzarella version. They also do a very authentic tasting meat or vegetable lasagna and serve authentically Neapolitan Kimbo coffee.
Apart from this first pop-up outlet, two permanent Pizza Rossa venues are due to open in the City at the beginning of July. The Pizza Rossa pop-up will be open from 7.30 am for coffee, Italian pastries and breakfast items, until 4 pm, Monday to Friday. Try it for a slice of something different.