New York has long laid claim to being the home of pizza outside Italy. It may have been invented in Italy, but Americans have turned pizza into an artform and with a huge Italian-American community, it’s probably the most important regional dish of the Big Apple. Brooklyn Bite are now serving their take on the classic NY pizza experience right here in London on the Kings Road. The trendy pizzeria has a relaxed, laid back atmosphere, perfect for a casual meal with friends and would make a great venue for a date.
We decided to split one pizza and one calzone between two of us to sample a couple of different meals. We opted for the meaty calzone and the Fun Guy pizza – because, well, we are fun guys! While we waiting for our pizzas, we kicked off with garlic knots; half a dozen chunks of lighter-than-air dough, liberally drizzled with garlic oil and served with passata dip.
The service here is friendly and quick, no sooner had we finished our starters than the mains appeared on our table. The calzone was roughly the size of a rugby ball, a huge portion of thin, light dough stuffed with copious amounts of pepperoni, sausage and cheese with tomato sauce, plus more passata in which to dip the crusts. Nice touch. The smokiness of the meats permeated the whole interior of the dish and gave it character and depth of flavour. The Fun Guy pizza was as good, if not even better. Again, a thin crispy base but in the traditional 12” circular format, topped with mushrooms, salami, spinach, olives, cheese and tomato. Personally, we’d have liked to have seen a few more olives but that’s just individual taste.
A word of warning – don’t be tempted to go for the supersize 18” version, the 12” pizza is more than enough for a hungry man. The huge 18” pizzas should only be attempted if you’re splitting with friends. All the pizzas are clearly inspired by NYC, from the ‘Fugetaboutit’ (pancetta, ham, pepperoni, salami, tomato, mozzarella,) to the ‘Sleep with the fish’ (fried calamari, tomato, mozzarella) and ‘Benny Blanco from the Bronx’ (ricotta, garlic, basil, extra virgin olive oil, tomato, mozzarella). Even the desserts are new York through and through – Oreo cheesecake – yes please!
Hidden beneath the dining area is a speakeasy-style bar with red neon adorning the exposed brickwork and adding to the illusion of being on the other side of the Atlantic. The Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and other landmarks have been painted on one wall by a very talented graffiti artist, the perfect background in which to enjoy your Brooklyn lager and Manhattan cocktails.
342 Kings Road, SW3 5UR
www.brooklynbite.com