Be you human or ninja turtle, I think we can all agree that everybody loves pizza… but you don’t need a weekend away in Italy to find a good one.
Nestled in the traffic-free winding backstreets of W1, you can have this circle of heaven for starters, mains AND desserts if you so desire which, god bless you ‘Mayfair Pizza’, is a great start.
This authentic Italian restaurant in London on Lancashire Court opposite sister restaurant ‘Mews of Mayfair’ is spacious, airy and just on the right side of classy yet welcoming. With a jovial atmosphere and the hustle & bustle of their open-plan kitchen, it’s a haven for pizza lovers of all ages.
The main beer offering is the ubiquitous Peroni but the wine list here is seriously first class… rosso lovers may do well to go for the Spanish ‘Marqués de Murrieta’ Rioja or Itynera’s Montepulciano but feeling like something cold and crisp, we opted for the recommended and utterly fabulous Falanghina ‘Alta’… Pinot Grigioé who?
Deciding to save our dealings with the cheesy wheel until mains, we opted for a starter of Crab ‘n’ Mac (an indescribably hedonistic crab-laced mac ‘n’ cheese served in-shell with the most wonderful velvety mouth-feel) and Beef Carpaccio. The latter is a Townfish staple and for such a simple dish, is frequently just not as good as it could be. Not at Mayfair Pizza- the fresh slivers of raw beef was offset just so by an unusual yet delectable pairing with the tart pickled mushrooms.
Now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for- the pizza. Being unable to choose between the reams of high-quality, stone-baked delights on offer, we had to go for a couple of half and half pizzas to get our tastebuds around as many of the flavours as possible. Whilst you have your instantly recognisable Quattro Formaggis and Fiorentinas on offer, it was the more unorthodox end of the spectrum that really grabbed our attention. On Pizza.1, we split the delightfully crisp base between Pulled Pork Shoulder with onion & wonderful chunks of crackling and the luxurious Mayfair Pizza Co. Black Truffle & lashings of Porcini Mushroom… Jaw. Floor. These flavour combinations were a revelation!
Pizza No.2 was resplendent with Pancetta & Goats Cheese and a total meat-fest of Salami, spicy Chorizo, Parma Ham and another dose of Pancetta for good measure.
Having bellies that are actually as big as our eyes, we somehow also managed a sumptuous Rigatoni Funghi with a portion of Black Truffle & Parmesan Chips. Extravagant? Moi? The Calzones also looked wonderful with a Bolognese and fiery Nduja topping piquing the interest.
If, for some reason you exist within the small minority of folk who don’t dig pizza (sacrilege!) then fear not, Mayfair Pizza have plenty of other equally delicious options to choose from- the Saltimbocca of pork medallions wrapped in parma ham sounds like a porcine paradise and the Strozzapreti con Frutti Di Mare sounds like a thoroughly welcome seafood offering.
Remember when you said you could have pizza for dessert? We weren’t lying. Check out sharing platters of Nutella calzone with marshmallows and crushed hazelnuts or Apple and Raspberry crumble if you just can’t get enough.
Being all about the sticky, salty, deliciousness- we tucked into the most wonderful pot of Salted Chocolate Caramel with a riot of popping candy and a light, refreshing Vanilla Pannacotta with Strawberries and Mint.
Lancashire Court may be full of wonderful eateries to choose from, scenting the air with a plethora of inviting aromas from around the world but take it from us, if you want to spoil yourself silly without it costing the Earth… Mayfair Pizza is the only restaurant around here that you need to know.
