Pursuing amazing pizza is not an easy thing. When I ate what is apparently the best pizza in London, I was somewhat let down when I realised pizza is very hard to extensively glorify. Not to say it was bad, just not as wonderful as I had hoped.
When people talk about great pizza, Franco Manca is a name that comes up time and again from those in the know in London. Well, it's a name but not as I imagined. I always thought that this Franco chap must be a pizza wizard, probably a chef who started it all and is now cashing in on his success as part of a wealthy retirement. Franco is indeed a part of the story, but Franco Manca isn't. "Franco Manca" means "Franco's missing" in Italian. The name is an homage to the man who owned the small restaurant where the chain's Brixton flagship shop now stands.
They started out with a small shop in Brixton and have since gained the recognition of more than just those in the locality. I'd heard about the place before one had opened in Chiswick and they have now opened a new venue in the Stratford branch of Westfield. According to reports, Brick Lane and Covent Garden ventures are due in the near future.
The other half and I met up for an early dinner with me fairly ravenous after a day's work and her nothing of the sort after lunch at Hibiscus. I admired Franco's instantly for their willingness to revel in simplicity. Similar to the success Byron have enjoyed since bursting on to the scene a couple of years ago, they have clearly identified that pared-down menus are supreme when it comes to good cheap eating. There are six pizzas on offer and we tried two of them.
They were unreservedly excellent. Thick, soft and appetising sourdough base is what Franco Manca pride themselves on and they are right to do it. These are pizza pies that demand to be torn into and scoffed down as quickly as possible. In short, perfect pizza. This is, lest we forget, rustic and traditional peasant food. Pizza will never be properly posh (pasta is another kettle of carbs), so it's time we started looking for affordable greatness covered in cheese and tomato.
If the bases were near-perfect, the toppings also weren't far off. We had a ham and mushroom pizza which was terrifically thick and juicy. Gloucester Old Spot ham and wild mushrooms is a combination which was made to be put on puffy dough. Really intense, filling stuff that held your attention for more than a couple of bites.
Secondly, we went for the pizza with cheese, tomato and chorizo. They made the point of stating that the pizza had both dry and semi-dry sausage on top, which I liked. It was truly excellent. A nice twist on the more typically Italian sausage on pizzas, it was salty, sweet, thick and utterly moreish. You wouldn't want to eat two but the taste was so good you'd probably want to try.
So maybe Franco Manca is the best pizza in London? A little further down the District Line, Santa Maria in Ealing remains a great place, but I think Franco's is better simply because I expected less. Either way, go there for a pizza whenever you feel like it or are in the area. It's high quality, low complexity, affordable food. London hopes Franco remains missing.
Franco Manca
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