I certainly had high hopes coming in after reading Stephanie and Sophie's reviews.
Franco Manca did not disappoint. Every minute of dining there was kind of enchanting.
From the chefs hurling pizza dough at each other to the expertly curated shabby chic tiling at the entrance, the space has plenty of visual appeal.
Their sourdough pizzas are apparently cooked at 500c, which is great for a quick turnaround, and would explain the masses of people coming in and out.
We had the tomato, garlic, oregano, capers, olivers, anchovies, and mozzarella pizza (totally just went for the one with the most ingredients.) At 6.85 for a big portion that left me completely sated, this is a really good value for pizza. One would hope they force the overpriced chains to compete or fold. My dining partner pointed out that this slow rising sourdough almost invoked the taste of naan. I don't entirely disagree, and naan pizza is a huge selling point for me.
What really elevates Franco Manca for me is that you can get proper parmesan with your pizza if you ask, and the black pepper, garlic oil and chili oil at each table allows you to completely customize your dish. It's a holy marriage of classicism and contemporary 'build your own' approaches. I for one, would probably drown any foodstuff in garlic oil. Bonus points for the garlic oil being really strong here.
We had the house red, a blend of dolcetto, barbera, and croatina. Really lovely on its own, took on a sweetness with the pizza, and an enjoyable acidity with chili oil. Pretty impressed for 3.85.
Oh my god, the affogato was exquisitely well balanced and I could literally have like 10 of them.
Sourdough pizza seems to digest differently -- I felt a lot less carb-coma'd at the end of the meal than I ever have at a pizza joint.
I can't wait to go back for the burrata. Thoroughly impressed. read more