Either way, it appears to be going down well - the place was buzzing on a Monday night, full of youngish Claphamites and energetic waiters who bounded up the stairs and half-skidded across the wooden floors like enthusiastic Dobermans.
It's attracted some rave reviews in the past for the quality of its pizzas. Now there are few foods I love more than a good pizza, so I was keen to try it out.
To cut to the chase: they were good, but I was not blown away. The bases were slightly thicker than normal, especially around the crust, which was fluffy, almost chewy, rather than thin and crisp like a wafer. The middle of the pizza was thinner, but nowhere near the so-stretched-you-can-almost-read-through-it achievements that some restaurants manage with their pizza dough. The Real Ale Drinker and I both felt they could have been cooked a little more, as there was a suspicion of doughiness.
The toppings were cracking, though: a medley of fresh seafood for him, including mussels and clams in the shell, baby octopus, and two king prawns in the centre like some kind of heraldic emblem. Mine had fried aubergine, ricotta, sweet cherry tomatoes, and Parmesan.
We had starters, too: a duo of winter warmers, one of beans and sausage and another lentils with friarelli (a slightly bitter Italian green). I thought the greens got a bit lost, but it was a great rib-sticking dish. Much the same could be said of the beans and sausage. An English person would call it breakfast, I suppose, but the Italians manage to turn it into a pretty good starter.
Despite the energetic waiters, service felt slightly erratic at times - our starters were quite slow to arrive, and the table next to us appeared to have been forgotten about. We weren't offered dessert until so much time had passed that we asked for the bill. I probably wouldn't go there when in a hurry, but it didn't detract from an enjoyable evening.
Pizzas cost from £7.50 to £11, while there are also meat and fish dishes, and the home-made pasta and gnocchi look worth a return visit. Overall verdict: not quite as good as Eco nearby in Clapham Common, but I'd still go back.
As for the Gay and Lesbica pizzas, they seem like pizzas for the indecisive. The Lesbica is half mushrooms, parmesan and basil, and half rocket, shavings of parmesan and cherry tomatoes.The Gay is half Margherita and half Parma ham with rocket, parmesan and cherry tomatoes. And I'm still none the wiser as to the point of a three-foot-high pepper grinder. As we all know, size isn't everything, in pepper grinders or in pizzas.
Donna Margherita,
183 Lavender Hill,
London SW11
020 7228 2660
Does size matter when leaning over people to grind pepper?
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