Open Mon–Thu midday–11pm; Fri–Sat midday–midnight; Sun midday–11pm
The family-run, Clapham Junction pizzeria has recently opened a sister restaurant at Notting Hill Gate. Its location on the corner of Campden Hill has seen a succession of restaurants come and go in recent years, so we were relieved to find the new restaurant packed with noisy groups of friends and couples.
The wood-fired oven greets you on arrival (wood is delivered daily). There’s a mural of an Italian street scene on the wall; this, along with the cartoonish logo and tiles give the restaurant a faux rustic-cum-theme park feel. Fortunately our waiter and the menu were authentically Italian. Most of the ingredients are from Italy and pizzas are cooked on the stone floor of the wood-fired oven.
Metre-long pizzas arrive on metal plinths which should make for fun, social grazing, but the height of them can be distracting on the eye – we moved ours to one side. Our Napoli bases were thin and crisp; the tomato sauce tangy. My Portobello (mozzarella, mixed mushroom, truffle oil, wild rocket, and grana padano; £12.50) was substantial and pungent; my friend’s Diavola (mozzarella, tomato, salame, basil, mushrooms and chilli; £10.50) equally satisfying. Our crispy fried mozzarella starter (£5.95) less so; the balls were bland and oily. The fried courgettes and aubergines (£4.95) were better; light and crisp. We felt full, but a selection of tempting desserts were brought to us on a tray. After much deliberation, we chose the panna cotta with its decadent thick chocolate sauce topping (£5).
The wine list is good value. The house wines include a 2009 Angelo Bianco and Rossi from Sicily (both £16). We chose a bottle of 2009 Gavi di Gavi Le Meirana (£28). There’s also a semi-private dining room which seats approximately 20 – perfect for parties.
Meal for two, with wine, around £70.
