So cast all thoughts of wheat intolerances to the winds and celebrate all things dough. Pizza al Taglio - that’s by the slice if you’re not down with pizza parlance – is the new buzz word. Baking their wares on long oblong trays, al taglia joints price their pizza by weight and are an enduringly popular feature of the Roman landscape.

Fans of Popstar to Opera Star will doubtless recognize that ‘adagio’means ‘slow’ and at Soho’s Adagio Pizza Al Taglio, the secret recipe dough is left to prove for a minimum of 72 hours before baking – and owner, Shelley Squire trawled the pizzerias of Rome to find that satisfying crunch.

This is traditional Roman style pizza featuring a thicker base compared to the Neapolitan and options from the seasonally changing menu include Bresaola, Pancetta & Fresh Parmesan with Rucola; Baked Aubergine, Garlic & Feta Cheese with Fresh Basil and Zucchini Flowers, Mozzarella & Gorgonzola. An average slice will set you back about £3.50 but you can order whatever size takes your fancy and a 2am curfew on weekends is music to our ears.

Also slicing up a storm for Pizza Romana is Datte Foco on Stoke Newington Church Street. Brainchild of pizzaiolo Herbie Leonelli, house speciality is Pizza Bianca Romana – a hybrid garlic bread or pizza without the tomato – and Stokey trendies are rather taken with the Sweet Sausage & Fresh Porcini Mushroom and Air-Dried Beef & Rocket varieties. There’s even a stuffed sucking pig version – Ripiena Con La Porchetta! And with prices starting at just £1 per 100 grams, you can broaden your horizons without breaking the bank.

Finally for traditionalists who still like ‘em round ‘n’ red will be pleased to know that come 24 February, Brixton’s brilliant Franco Manca is branching out into posh Chiswick.

Owner and ex-pat Neapolitan Giuseppe Mascoli, has joined forces with entrepreneur, Sami Wasif and financial tycoon and Mascoli’s cousin, Cesare Ponti and the trio are planning the launch of seven more restaurants in London over the next three years.

Serving up the most authentic sourdough pizza to be found outside of Naples, it’s cooked to perfection in wood-burning ‘Tufae’ brick ovens constructed on site by Neopolitan artisans. The eight ton construction flash cooks the pizzas at an incredible 500C, the heat sealing in both the flavours of the toppings and the moisture of the crust.

Artisan produce gets top billing: organic tomatoes are single estate and imported directly from Italy, while the Gloucester Old Spot Pork (sourced by David Tomlin, one of the founders of the Rare Bread Survival Trust), is cured on the premises. The boys have even gone as far as importing an artisan mozzarella producer from the southern Italian Apennines to tutor the organic cheese makers of Alham Wood Farm in Somerset - one of the only water buffalo farms in Britain.

Organic wine comes from Ottavio Rube, founder of Valli Unite cooperative in Piedmont, while the house lemonade is produced from Amalfi lemons. Even the coffee, from the Monmouth Street Coffee Company, is an organic blend specially made for Franco Manca. And with pizzas costing £4.50 to £6.80 and a glass of wine only £1.80, we can’t wait to see where Franco Manca will be popping up next!

www.adagio-pizza.com
www.dattefoco.co.uk
www.francomanca.co.uk