Latest opening: Pizzeria Mozza
What: A London outpost of the famous Los Angeles pizza restaurant that is part of Treehouse Hotel London on Langham Place.
Who: Pizzeria Mozza is the brainchild of owners Nancy Silverton and Joe Bastianich, who are both involved in the London project. Although she may not be a household name over here Silverton in particular is a bit of a big deal – not only is she is a previous Winner of the prestigious James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award’ she appeared in the third series of Netflix’s popular Chef’s Table series. Silverton is also the co-owner of Michelin starred restaurant Osteria Mozza in LA and co-founded La Brea Bakery, which was at the forefront of the artisan bread movement in the US.
The vibe: While Pizzeria Mozza is part of the Treehouse Hotel it is a far cry from your traditional hotel restaurant. In fact, you’d be excused for not realising it was connected to the hotel thanks to its unassuming entrance and traditional Italian pizzeria vibe. Whitewashed and wood panelled walls and terracotta floor tiles generate a welcome clang and clatter that is often conspicuously missing from the capital’s casual dining rooms and the service has the brisk yet friendly intensity of a dining room firing on all cylinders.
The food: You don’t need to be a genius to work out what’s on the menu here, but Londoners will be pleased to know that this isn’t just another cool pizza joint (not that there’ anything wrong with cool pizza joints). Pizza options include those with courgette flowers, tomato and burrata; pancetta, guanciale, onion cream, roasted tomato, rucola and aioli; and the signature pizza alla Benno – Silverton’s take on a Hawaiian that is made with speck and thinly-sliced pineapple as well as jalapenos, tomato and mozzarella and which gets the thumbs up from us. There’s also a sold range of antipasti dishes, highlights of which include meatballs with toasted baguette and herb butter; cauliflower fritti with spicy mint aioli; mussels al forno with salsa calabrese; and corn al forno with Fresno chilli butter. Pizza prices start at £10 and hit £18 but the majority sit at around the £13 to £14 mark.
To drink: With the exception of a small selection of champagnes the wine list is stalwartly Italian, with many wines sourced from from La Mozza winery, which is also owned by Bastianich. Bottles start at £36 and top out at £3,600 for a Sassicaia 2014.
And another thing: Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza is not to be mixed up with Scottish pizza group Mozza which, to make things even more confusing, has just opened a restaurant in Silverburn.
Treehouse Hotel London,14-15 Langham Place, W1B 2QS
www.treehousehotels.com
