First experience: ordered pizza to take away on Christmas Eve. There were no discounted prices for takeaway (despite the absence of VAT?) so we opted to have it delivered, just two streets away. It arrived a whole hour later, and was about as warm as a pair of recently worn pyjamas.
The only reasons we did not bother to complain were (i) it was Christmas Eve so you know, never mind; and (ii) the delivery guy smiled so effusively it would have been horrible to get him into trouble.
You know what though? Despite the tepid topping and chewy crust, inside that pizza was a world of great taste trying to get out.
So, because of that, we gave it another go: this time to dine in. And on the strength of this more recent experience, wow, I'm a fan.
OK, the service could have been a little keener, and maybe the wine a little cooler. But the food: just superb, I can't exaggerate, it was bursting with vivid flavours, so much so that I could barely avoid letting out sustained murmurs of delight.
We chose the 'Lucky Luka' pizza and an avocado & bacon salad, to share between two. You know, that salad would have been more than satisfying on its own with just a piece of bread. The bacon was thick and grilled to perfection, the generous bed of rocket was pungent and peppery and the mango dressing livened it up and set off those flavours with a welcome sweetness. The pizza was even better though: rustic, rich, gloriously garlicky and a touch of smokiness. House wine: a better choice than I dared to expect.
Even so, the trump card for Grounded -- and, I guess, the factor that keeps the regular custom rolling in even on midweek evenings -- is the decidedly reasonable bill for the excellent fare. I have paid £40 for lesser meals at Zizzi, Strada et al, and the bill for our two mains and large glasses of wine was £25. We will be coming back for sure. read more