Pizza Pilgrim Pizzeria & Frigittoria – Neapolitan Expansion

I wasn’t sure where to have dinner with Lee on a Monday night, and then Pizza Pilgrim 2 soft launch popped up on Twitter. Perfect – good pizza and 50% off food too.

We got there early-ish, 6:15pm and it was a short 15min wait. Like the Pizza Pilgrim on Dean Street, the centrepiece was the massive oven, and there were tables in green chequered tablecloth. We started with a carafe of Prosecco on tap to share and some nibbles to check out the Frigittoria part of the new gig.

Carciofi Fritti – Deep fried artichoke hearts with rosemary salt

Simple stuff well made. The artichokes had a crispy edge and were bursting with juice as I bit into them. Good seasoning and incredibly moreish.

Arancini Rosso – tomato risotto balls with smoked mozzarella

There were 3 deep-fried arancini balls per portion. The deep-frying was done very well, the shell was crispy and almost grease-free, encasing the soft, creamy risotto with tomato and half-melted mozzarella in the centre. The flavours and textures were sensational, I could have smashed a few more if they weren’t so filling. These would have been even better if the cheese had melted fully and the risotto less mushy, but still pretty darn awesome.

Aubergine Parmagiana Fior di latte, roast aubergine, parmesan, cherry tomatoes, garlic

I didn’t get to taste the plum tomato passata last time when I had the Portobello mushroom & Truffle Oil pizza at the Dean Street shop, so we picked one of each this time.

We were slightly disappointed by how little aubergine there were on the pizza, could have been more generous to help spreading that flavour around. The tomato sauce was gorgeous, mildly tangy but mostly refreshing sweet, mixed well with the smooth and milky mozzarella. The sourdough base was as good as I remembered it to be, moist and chewy with a gently charred, crispy edge. It was an honest and simple pizza with great ingredients, nothing tricky or gimmicky, just pure authenticity.

Carbonara Bianca base, roasted pancetta, fior di latte, parmesan, pecorino, black pepper & an egg yolk

I think we both agreed this was the better pizza. The white base pizza was cheesy-rich and indulgent, with the right amount creaminess from mozzarella and nutty pecorino, topped with a sprinkle of crispy and savoury pancetta and a runny yolk – it was a tried and tested combination of flavours done very well.

Nutella Ring

As if we didn’t have enough pizza, we decided to finish off with a chocolate filled pizza ring. We also ordered some hazelnut ice cream from Gelupo to mix with the warm Nutella doughy bread… winner.

Pizza Pilgrim 2 really stuck to their stuff of making traditional Neapolitan sourdough pizza, using quality ingredients in and around Naples. I prefer the space in Kingly Court compared to the basement seating in Dean Street, and there are more to sample with the Frigittoria, but the two joints are equally good. I’ll be coming back for the deep-fried calzone.

Pizza Pilgrim Pizzeria & Frigittoria

11 Kingly Street

London

W1B 5PW

Tel: 0207 287 2200

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