Slice
Searching for London's Best Pizza
Bloomberg Television ropes Italian chef Francesco Mazzei of L'Anima into a tour of London in hopes of finding the best pizza there.
But, oh, they didn't hear about saving the best for last. By a stroke of good luck or bad luck (take your pick), they end up finding the best pizzeria in the Big Smoke at the start of their tour.
Having done a number of pizza tours myself, I know how disappointing it is starting on a high and then hitting misses the rest of the day.
What's that you ask? Oh, the best pizza joint in London? Franco Manca in Brixton.
Franco Manca is owned by Giuseppe Mascoli, 50, from Positano, on the Amalfi Coast. He uses lievito madre natural yeast and slow- rising sourdough that he prepares 20 hours in advance. The brick oven is from Naples, the flour from Piedmont, the organic tomatoes from Liguria and the cheeses from Somerset. Yes, Somerset in England, where they are made by Alham Wood Cheese....
"It can be difficult to find good pizza in London," Mazzei said. "PizzaExpress is a bit like McDonald's. There's no authenticity. It's fine for families and kids but not for a pizza connoisseur and not for a chef. I've never been to Pizza Hut."
And here are what various outlets have said about Franco Manca: Chowhound, Time Out London, Metro.
Londoners: Have you been? What's your verdict?
Franco Manca
4 Market Row, Electric Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LD
020 7738 3021
francomanca.co.uk