5 /5 Michaela Wang: I visited Nonna Maria late on a rainy and cold Thursday evening. I was sat at a candlelit table facing the open kitchen in the back. The pizza chef and restaurant owner danced around in a choreography of stretching the dough, sprinkling on fresh toppings (all imported from Italy!), sliding it into the oven, and ducking to check on its charring. They worked the pizza peel like an extension of their arm.
First came the pasta puttanesca. The parpadelle gave with each bite. Capers and black olives punctuated the sauce without masking the freshness of the San Marzano tomatoes.
Then came the pizza vegetariana. The caramelized onions added a surprising and welcomed sweetness, while the flavors of the peppers and zucchini shined. But the best part, usually the least exhilarating when it comes to pizza, was the crust. Thin, airy, light.
The owner presented every diner with three options for dessert––lemon and almond cake, tiramisu, and brownie––and not one table turned it down. Im glad I got a tiramisu to go, which made a wonderful breakfast the next day, espresso unnecessary. The not-too-sweetness allowed the richness of the mascarpone cream to come out fully.
This is not your usual viral Italian restaurant in central London. You will chat with the owner and overhear neighborhood gossip. You will leave full, body and soul.
