The lowdown: Posh pizza
Posh pizza - not two words typically used together... It’s not another pop up, is it?
Sort of. Gordon Ramsay’s Union Street Cafe is hosting an event serving a six-course pizza tasting menu.
Six pizzas? Even for the most ardent pizza lover, that sounds a bit excessive…
Not necessarily- this is more of a fine dining affair, and the word ‘pizza’ is used rather loosely. The ‘pizzas’ include the likes of fried pizza dough topped with crudo of tuna, turnip tops, chilli and bergamot, or ‘Dal Mare’ with octopus, stracciatella and n’duja. A dessert pizza consists of a sweet dough topped with ricotta, pistachio, lemon and chocolate.
Who’s in the kitchen? I can’t imagine Ramsay cooking at a pizza pop up…
Italian dough expert, Matteo Attianese, will join Union Street Café head chef Davide Degiovanni in the kitchen. Apparently, the concept of combining fine dining with pizza is really taking off in Italy.
What about in the UK?
While the pizza tasting menu might be a first over here, there are a few places whose pizza offerings are a bit more glam than a Dominos Two-for-Tuesday deal. There’s a truffle and fontina pie for £31 on the menu at Jean-Georges at The Connaught, in Mayfair (where else?). It’s closer in size to a pizzete than a pizza, and comes on a little metal stand. When asked why he put it on the menu chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten said it “keeps it real”. Debatable.
Anything a bit less ridiculous?
Harry’s Dolce Vita has a pretty unusual ‘Nero’ offering, with black squid ink dough, smoked salmon, sliced avocado, dill sour cream, red onion and rocket. We’re assuming the toppings are added after it’s been baked.
Do diners need to take out a second mortgage to pay the bill?
At £17.50 it’s a bit easier on the pocket, as is the ‘funghi’ with truffled mascarpone, scamorza, mushrooms, duck egg and truffle. At £16.75 it’s pretty much half the price of Jean-George’s truffle option, although for those who do want to push the boat out there’s also a £35 Bianca option topped with white tuber magnatum truffles.
It’s always truffles, isn’t it? Truffles, and Mayfair.
More or less, yes. There is one exception, though. Budget takeaway chain Pizza GoGo has a £500 ‘Gold Pizza’ on its menu, alongside the £3 onion rings and £5 lasagnes. The edible PR stunt comes with caviar, lobster, fantail prawns, white truffle oil and gold flakes, and comes with butler service and a red carpet delivery. Diners can only order it from the chain’s Essex office, but they will deliver it to London for the same price. Bargain.
