Italian

Franco Manca

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Address: 20 Atlantic Road, SW9 8JA

Phone: 0207 738 3021

Website: https://www.francomanca.co.uk/restaurants/brixton/

Previous eat in review link – more than 10 years ago! Franco Manca has moved from its original small place that we often packed with a queue at weekends. It is now on Atlantic road in a big site that has seen several restaurants come and go. Brixton long-timers will know it as ‘The Railway’ or even as ‘Brady’s’. Inside it has a relatively small but bright room near the entrance with table and bar-type seating, but go up the stairs and on the left is a very large room that would be great for a pizza party – we noticed one going on when we visited.

We are very fond of Franca Manca, having been regular users back when it was Franco’s and only open during the day and then not on Wednesdays because of half-day closing! The current list of pizza’s has not been much revamped but changes with the seasons. They use sourdough with a starter they can trace to the 18th century – presumably via the original Franco. The dough is allowed to rise for 24 hours before they make the pizza then it is flashed in the incredibly hot oven for a really short time.

Of course there are pizza’s but there are also pre-pizza (olives, meat, salad stuff to share and small plates of aubergine parmigiana or cheesy stuff with meat). Salads to eat with or without a pizza – too many to describe and bread and dips. There is also post-pizza with affogato, tiramisu and other sweet treats. We were here for the pizza – was it as good as usual or was it becoming too speedy.

We chose a Napoletana and a spicy salami pizza (a sort of American hot).

The pizza below is the spicy salami one that had “lightly smoked beechwood spicy salami, organic tomato, mozzarella, caramelised red onions, homemade Franco’s chilli oil & fresh basil”. Not as hot as an American hot but the chili oil had a kick and the caramelised onions and cheese mellowed it all out.

The Napoletana had organic tomato, garlic, oregano, capers from Salina, Kalamata black olives, Cantabrian anchovies & mozzarella. This was delicious but a little more cooking would have made the dough even better.

We saw people taking pizza home but we finished the whole lot so had not space for post-pizza. We washed it all down with no logo craft lager and a glass of Montepulciana.

The bill came to £36.75 plus 10% service charge which is a lot less than most restaurants charge these days. The food only came to £22 so if you drink water this is a very reasonable place to eat. We were also full, so couldn’t squeeze in another bite. If you want to run through the menu then come with friends and only order a few pizzas so you can try the pre- and post-pizza specialties.

Maremanno

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19 Tulse Hill, Brixton, SW2 2TH

https://www.ilmaremmano.com/

Only open Wednesday to Saturday 5-11.00pm

This is styled as a Apericena Bar – a cross between an aperitif and dinner. It is a close relation of the restaurant Maremma round the corner in Brixton Water Lane. We’ve been there a number of times, with the most recent review here. They both serve regional specialties from the Maremma in southern Tuscany and the offer is similar. Maremanno is aimed more at what’s known as casual dining. You can sit inside or in a small courtyard at the back. It is a squeeze, so you definitely need to book, especially if the weather is fine.

They have Stuzzicini (bread, nuts, parmesan biscuits etc), Crostini (chicken liver and truffle, green anchovy, or peppers and courgette), Taglieri (a meat or cheese board) and Pizzette (small or very small pizza with tuna etc or mushrooms). Of course this all comes with cocktails, wine or beer.

We were three people so indulged ourselves at least one dish from each category. So we had Nduja arancini, green anchovy arancini, the cheese board, a vegetable bagna cauda, and a four cheese pizzette.

We finished with a gelato scoop

We washed it down with a Spritz classic, a glass of frizzante wine and crodino spritz, and then had further wine and beer.

The bill came to £100.30 without service. We were full but we might have lingered and chosen a little better.

Forza Win – a short bus ride away

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29-33 Camberwell Church Street

https://forzawin.com/

This is a relatively new Italian restaurant in Camberwell with a great offer for lunch – 3 courses for £20.00 – which we couldn’t resist. It is on a corner and has taken over the premises of a previous tapas restaurant. Camberwell has certainly added to the culinary fare recently with many new offerings. We chose a Thursday lunchtime and that may be a busy time as it was buzzing (as were many of the other restaurants and cafes).

For starters we chose sourdough foccacia with garlic (lots of garlic) that we forgot to photograph but take it from us the portion was huge. The other two chose the same dish – mushroom fritti with fennel and chili mayonnaise. This was spicy so the fennel rather passed us by, but again the portion was huge – this photo just shows one of them.

Next on to the pasta – again two of us chose the same dish – linguine with crab, datterini and capers – the other member of our group, daring to be different, chose spaghetti, roasted tomatoes and parmesan, lots of parmesan. It turns out that datterini are actually tomatoes which you can see in the photo. The literal translation is “little dates” as they are small, elongated and very sweet. All plates were licked clean – not because we were that hungry after the huge starters, but because it was delicious.

Finally, we had two different puddings – a chocolate pot with caramel that was hidden at the bottom and a “custardo” (quotes are theirs) which essentially is an affogato with the ice-cream element served hot so it is sweet and thick and for sipping. All were delighted with the choices even if we needed to wake up mid-afternoon to do a bit more work.

The bill was £66 with service. If you have wine then it is about £35.00 a bottle.

Maremma

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address: 36 Brixton Water Lane, London SW2 1PE

https://www.maremmarestaurant.com/

Closed Monday and Tuesday and only open at lunchtime on Sunday – see website for details

Maremma is a place to go for a celebration as it is not cheap. We had a COVID-filled family Christmas, so when we emerged from quarantine we felt we deserved a celebration. Also, we knew it was the end of the Christmas period because we finished off the last pieces of the Terry’s Chocolate Orange. We have reviewed Maremma before (see here, here and HERE) but just as a reminder, it is all about Tuscan food. The short very Italian menu includes antipasti, primi, secondi and contourni (vegetables) and then cheese and desserts. The menu changes regularly and there are also specials – luckily we were with friends, so able to roam the menu. Spoiler alert – we enjoyed everything and ignored vegan January.

For starters we ordered spaghetti, venison carpaccio (a special), pigeon salad, and wild sea bass carpaccio. The spaghetti was no ordinary spaghetti but spaghetti alla chitarra, garlic, bottarga (literally guitar spaghetti with dried mullet). The egg pasta is square shaped and thicker than spaghetti that comes dried or in tins. The two carpaccios came with a little rocket for a small dose of pepper and the venison also had a dollop of very tasty sauce (unknown as it was a special). The pigeon salad came with radicchio, pomegranate, hazelnuts and looked substantial as did the spaghetti. But it was empty plates all round and our photos show that we were very keen to get stuck in.

For the main course we had a blowout with – Cacciucco maremmano (Tuscan fish stew with cuttlefish, prawns, mussels & grey mullet), a couple of portions of the rabbit (braised rabbit leg, taggiasche olives, and lardo) and finally pasta with a wild boar ragout. The rabbit looked a bit lonely so we ordered crispy potatoes and aioli. Everything was scrumptious and again there were empty plates. No one (and we are a picky bunch) had any complaints and the rabbit scored the most compliments.

We couldn’t decide whether to have dessert – we were pretty full so it was two espressos, an affogato and a portion of blood orange ice cream – sorry gelato – with a shortbread biscuit and plenty of spoons. The ice cream was smooth but the blood orange could have had a bit more flavour – it tends to be lost in cold food so it needs bumping up a bit. Coffee was of course jolting but we did order a bottle of reasonably-priced red wine (they have unreasonable ones!).

We enjoyed the company, the ambiance – we sat near the door but it wasn’t cold. It did get a bit loud towards the end of the evening but that depends on your neighbours, and one group was clearly having a great time. We enjoyed everything put in front of us and our companions are not easy to please. They are opening another branch in Clapham, so this one might be easier to book. The bill for four came to £236 (£59 per head) which included the “reasonably priced” red wine at £48. This was a treat and we were very full when we left. On Thursday and Friday they have lunch for £15 including wine, so perhaps that is the entry to this restaurant.

La Nonna

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Address: 7 Market Row, Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8LB 

Telephone: 02035896645

Email: ciao@lanonnaldn.com

Website: https://lanonnaldn.com/

Delivery with ubereats and deliveroo

We have tried to get a table by just dropping by and didn’t have any luck so this time we booked online for lunch. Saturday lunchtime is not so busy and there were tables (inside and out) and counter service while we were around. This is a minimalist restaurant – a few photos on the walls and a bar along the wall. It is in the space that used to be Seven. It started in a market elsewhere and moved to Brixton in the summer. The website says that the pasta is made daily with Italian zero zero flour and all the sauces are made in- house and that fresh pasta goes better with butter based sauces and fillings (they say).

They have antipasti, pasta (all fresh of course) dolci (desserts) and even a kids meal section. We chose some foccacia and polpettine di melanzane con bagnacauda di peperoni (aubergine balls with pepper sauce). The foccacia was crispy and salty on the outside and came with olive oil and we wished we had had more to dip into. The aubergine was very good but mainly because the sauce was delicious – I want to know the recipe.

Then we ordered mains – ravioli a la zucca mantanova (pumpkin, leek and ricotta ravioli, with sage butter and 24 month parmesan) see above, and below is Cozze e N’duja tagliolini al nero di seppia (nduja, mussels, anchovy pepper sauce, breadcrumbs). The ravioli were really good and the sauce incredibly rich and delicious, but, not advertised on the menu, was a crumb of biscuit so it was incredibly sweet. The Parmesan was very sparse so I asked for more.

The black pasta with mussels was fantastic – salt might be added as the only salt is the anchovy in the sauce – but that is a little niggle.

We drank the house red and a blood orange San Pellegrino – water came from the tap. The food came to £32.75 and because i was not at all keen on the biscuit addition to the pasta, they offered a free dessert, but by that stage we were too full. We can’t remember what the drinks cost. We will be going back, but will choose wisely and check for potential sweet additions to the pasta mains.

Maremma

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address: 36 Brixton Water Lane, London SW2 1PE

https://www.maremmarestaurant.com/

We visited Maremma in a brief flurry of going out to dinner earlier this year. We have reviewed it before (see here and here) but just as a reminder, it is all about Tuscan food. They have a short very Italian menu with antipasti, primi, secondi and contourni (vegetables) and then cheese and desserts. We found these photographs on a phone we hardly use, and are stretching our memory to work out what each of them was. The menu changes regularly, so it wouldn’t be that much help, so we are just providing you with some notes. We do remember that it was all good.

As you can see we ordered pasta with seafood, pasta with a ragout and tortellini – all scrumptious. Note that we dived into some of the dishes before remembering our duty to our readers to take photographs. The first photograph after the pasta is a bit baffling – possibly an Italian gaspacho, but I know we ate it all! We did also try for some beef and vegetables, followed by desserts.

We all had a good time, but now have lost the bill. Our advice is to try this place as a treat, as it is expensive especially with cocktails, but the food has never disappointed us.

Pizza Brixton – takeaway

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105 Brixton Hill, SW2 1AA

phone: 020 3417 0471

website: http://www.pizzabrixton.co.uk/

Opening times:

Sun – Sat 12:00 – 23:00

Another week of lockdown 3.0 and we were still on the lookout for a new experience. Also the end of Italian week. We ended up with pizza! This place has a good score on Deliveroo and we hadn’t tried it for a while. We reviewed it some time ago (see here). The menu is certainly a little different to the run of the mill. As well as the margherita, napoli, marinara and funghi, they also had pistacchio, caramellata and salsiccia and porcini.

We chose a the salsiccia (tomato sauce, mozzarella fior di latte, Italian sausage, porcini mushrooms, grana padano, basil) and the pistacchio (mozzarella fior di latte, crema di pistacchio, mortadella, crushed pistachios, basil) – look carefully if you are vegetarian – the little symbols have a key at the bottom of the menu.

The pistacchio one was definitely nutty and the basil was a great smell and taste. I am not fond of mortadella, but it was good on the reheated portion the next day.

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The salsiccia version was lovely – hot occasionally with a bite of of the Italian sausage and the rounded taste of the mushrooms.

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You can see that they are not so particular about having them perfectly round, but I suppose it gives them more of a artisan look. Anyway, we enjoyed them both, but mostly on the following day. The reason was they were a little burnt on one side and we ate that one on the first day leaving the softer, less carbonised pieces to the next day. We know a pizza oven can be a little unpredictable but …. check the underside before tucking in.

The bill, without any drinks and before adding a tip, came to £29.71, good value when you have leftovers.

Italian week during lockdown.

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We are trying to improve our culinary creativity by concentrating on a specific country’s cuisine and doing our best with the ingredients provided in Brixton. We are following up our Maremma takeaway (see here) by going for Italian. The first offering in “Italian week” was designed by happen chance – you agree to all the substitutions in the online shopping and then discover that you now have not a standard sized haggis but the jumbo one. This fed us on Burns night, with some going to neighbours and family (no contact delivery nearby of course) but we still had some leftover so, after the haggis toastie, we invented “Left-over haggis with rigatoni”. Which was delicious with the added tomato and impossible to eat without a glass of red wine.

Our latest box from En Root (see here for details) contained aubergines this week and with the excellent Lidl parmesan we were able to produce “Melanzana Parmigiana” (Aubergine Parmesan) with some culture clashing patatas bravas and beans.

One of the favourites of the week was produced from the “Friends of Mine” Italian delicatessen in Coldharbour Lane. They sell large bags of coffee beans and an array of wine, cheese and pastries. We cought our Pasta di Semola di Grana Duro con vino Barolo – Pink pasta – and matched it with a mushroom cream sauce.

But towards the end of the week and in the current rainy weather you need something hearty and we did have a lot of leftover veg. So we made a sort of Italian vegetable soup – but not a classic minestrone. We used the stuff in the fridge plus home-made pesto and again some leftover rigatoni. Warming and delicious and surprisingly vegan, apart from the Parmesan of course.

Maremma – special delivery

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IMG_1927

36 Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 1PE

Tel no: 020 3186 4011

email: info@maremmarestaurant.com

Internet: https://www.maremmarestaurant.com/

For a special occasion – New Year’s Eve – we ordered the special menu from Maremma. We were already fans for both the eat-in and at home options – see here, here and here. The menu isn’t on offer all the time, but I am sure the dishes will reappear. The meal was definitely a special event, four courses, so not for everyday munchies. But Valentine’s day is approaching so perhaps that is the opportunity for a special romantic meal at home, but you will need to get in quick.
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Franzina Trattoria – Delivery

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Address: 395 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London SW9 8LQ

Deliveroo: https://deliveroo.co.uk/menu/london/brixton/franzina-trattoria-brixton

Website: https://franzinatrattoria.com/

Given the current Covid restriction of Tier 2, we are still having takeaways and were really pleased that Franzina Trattoria in Coldharbour Lane had click and collect, and delivery options. Despite it being relatively close, we still ordered through Deliveroo (Uber Eats also available). See our earlier eat-in review here.

This is a Sicilian restaurant and the menu consists of Piattini (small plates – you can actually buy the sicilian plates on the website), salads, fresh made tagliatelle with sauces and doci – puds. The Delivery menu is a little different to the eat-in version, but had plenty of options. For starters we chose Crocche – fried vegetable balls and caponata Siciliana. The menu promised two crocche each of three types – “potato, lemon, mint and basil. Aubergine, caciocavallo cheese and mint. Zucchini, pecorino cheese and basil”. The Caponata Siciliana is described as sweet and sour aubergine salad with tomatoes, nocellara olives, capers, celery and onions.

We ended up with eight crocche but there were only two sorts and, to be honest, it wasn’t clear to us which ones. One was just a chip and the other was pretty anonymous. So, these were a little disappointing. But this was definitely a starter in two halves, as the Caponata was fabulous. We could have eaten this by the bucket full and will definitely order again. It really does need some bread and luckily we had some, but next time we will also order some proper Italian bread with this meal.

This was followed by two types of pasta – Conchiglie con Salsiccia (described as conchiglie with with wild fennel sausage in a peppery tomoato sauce with pecorino cheese). Google describes the pasta as seashells. We also ordered Orecchiette al Pesto Trapanese (with fresh datterino tomatoes, basil, mint, pistachios, almonds, chili and lemon zest, topped with salty ricotta cheese). This pasta is sort of like little ears.

The Orecchiette were crunchy and spicy and a warm chili and nutty delight. The Conchiglie was also wonderful with a peppery warmth. The pictures shows them as quite distinct and they arrived not too steamed, so not al dente which pleased me as I’m not keen on any pasta crunch. However, we did have a lot leftover and microwaved it the next day. It was still wonderful to taste, but unfortunately over-cooked and we actually had a hard job distinguishing them. So our advice for the best experience is to wolf it all down in one sitting.

Finally – again eyes bigger than stomach moment – we ordered one portion of Baba al Masala con Panna. It was sweet and sticky, and we were glad that we only ordered one. We could have done with more “panna” and a little bit more marsala. But there was no crumb left at the end of the meal.

What did we think – we liked much of it, but not all (mainly the vegetable balls). That may be our fault. The best traveled dishes were the cold ones, but the pasta certainly managed the distance from their kitchen to our door without moving too far beyound the ‘al dente’ stage.

We are now beginning to understand the science of delivered food. Chips are soggy, no matter how brief the trip from the restaurant, unless of course they are the thin, very crispy type. Many dishes that were taken out of the oven just in time, arrive just a little overdone. We will definitely order from Franzina again with a very large serving of Caponata. Cost of the meal for two (with enough pasta leftovers for a meal the following day, but no alcohol) was £42, including Deliveroo fees and a tip for the rider.

UPDATE: We are now reliably informed that microwaving pasta is not the best way of reheating it – on top of the stove and lightly fry or put it in the oven.