Restaurants I want to visit: Franco Manca (pizzeria)

Feed: World Foodie Guide
Posted on: 14 June 2009 00:01
Author: admin
Subject: Franco Manca (pizzeria) - London, England (8/10)

Background:

People seem to really enjoy the pizzas at Franco Manca in Brixton Market, South London and I've read many a rave review. I must therefore be one of the last food bloggers to make the pilgrimage. When little brother told me that he regularly eats at Franco Manca and Wild Caper, FM's tiny delicatessen and bakery, I thought I'd tag along one lunchtime and see what they were feeding him.

First impressions:

The legendary queues were another reason for delaying my visit for so long. However, we timed it perfectly, arriving at 2pm on a Friday and seated within a minute or two. Even though my brother knows the waiters, I'll have you know that there was no queue-jumping involved! Franco Manca is split into two small locations, one on each side of the covered market, with a small walkway between them, but there is just one queue. There are tables inside as well as outside and people share tables quite happily, in order to avoid a long wait.

Menu:

Everything on the simple menu is made with organic ingredients, from the flour to the toppings and the alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. There are just six sourdough pizza options and one daily special (on the board), as well as a few extra toppings at 90p each. Little brother chose number 2 - ricotta from Alham Farm, Somerset, organic pork and mozzarella (no tomato) - £4.90, so I went for number 3 - wild mushrooms, garlic and anchovy (seasonal, subject to availability) - no cheese - £5.20. People all around us were tucking into their pizzas with gusto, and soon we were doing the same. I preferred the ricotta, pork and mozzarella one, but mine was lighter and probably a better choice for lunch.

According to Franco Manca, 'the pizza is made from slow-rising sourdough (minimum 20 hours) and baked in a wood burning 'tufae' brick oven made in Naples by a specialised artisan. The slow levitation and blast-cooking process lock in the flour's natural aroma and moisture giving a soft and easily digestible crust. As a result, the edge (cornicione) is excellent and shouldn't be discarded'.

The verdict:

I can't say whether Franco Manca's pizzas are the best in London or not, as I don't eat pizza often enough to be able to make that comparison. Fellow food bloggers will hopefully be able to help me out here with thoughts on this subject. However, I can say with confidence that the sourdough base was delightfully crispy, not too thick and doughy, not too thin and floppy (I don't normally finish the crust, but none remained this time) and the two toppings that I did try were excellent. Next time, I'm going to add more extras on my pizza and 'super-size' it up a bit!

Two pizzas, a large bottle of homemade lemonade, small salad and service charge came to a grand total of £15.70. Not bad at all for lunch in London, considering everything was organic, and I was stuffed for hours afterwards.

NB A few doors down is Wild Caper. It's a tiny place with two communal tables outside where you can enjoy tea and a slice of cake or lunchtime soup, made fresh daily. They sell organic fruit and vegetables, cheese, Sicilian olive oil, sourdough bread and other delectable products. It's well worth a visit after Franco Manca, and I couldn't leave without picking up some pimenton and jasmine silver tip tea.

Click here to see the entire set of photos from Franco Manca and Wild Caper.

10 - Perfection, 9.5 - Sensational, 9 - Outstanding, 8.5 - Superb,
8 - Excellent, 7.5 - Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 - Average