‘PIZZA EAST’ IN THE EAST END
Did you think that we visited the Brick Lane area without going to a restaurant after all the wonderful displays we saw at the Experimental Food show ? Right! You probably know me well enough by now, of course we went to a restaurant and let me tell you here and now how good was it! We reached PIZZA EAST following a recommendation by a friend/employer of mine. TL was so excited about the food, the service and the decor at this place, so there’s no chance that I was going to miss such an experience myself. As soon as we knew that we’re going to spend Saturday in Brick Lane, I jumped on the opportunity and booked a table for 3 (we went with YC, a friend from my beloved’s work). We were lucky to get a table on the same day (in London you normally have to book a few days in advance, especially if you want to go on a Saturday). We got the table from 630 PM, which is a good time to sit for dinner after a whole day of walking and sore feet. 18:00: We arrived a bit early – it started getting too cold to be outside and our stomach is sending signals of distress...
The place is at a very busy road intersection, and the entrance is just at the corner of the street, so it’s very hard to miss. We were received by 2 hostesses – one was checking if the table is already available and the other already taking our coats to the cloakroom. Since we were early, the hostess directed us to the waiting area, which also has (accidentally!) the restaurant’s bar. It’s important to note that there’s a huge table in the waiting area, where you can sit comfortably, sip your wine, and inspect the many kinds of charcuterie, pasta and other products that are offered for sale in this place. We ordered a bottle of Pino Grigio white and started inspecting the restaurant at our leisure.
Pizza East is located in what seems to be an old industrial structure, judging by the naked concrete ceiling, the air-con pipes and the special acoustics. There are numerous seating options for guests – tall bar stools, long shared tables (for 15-20 guests), private booths and of course regular round tables. The lighting is very pleasant, and smell of the food encouraged us to sit and eat no matter on which kind of table.
18:38: YC arrives, we will forgive him this time, after all we already had a few glasses that made us more user-friendly :)
After a quick look at the menu I realized straight away that this is a no-nonsense place and the chef knows exactly what he’s doing. How do I know that just by looking at the menu? You should know: When-ever you get a massively long menu with a huge range of dishes, it’s a sign that: 1. The place doesn’t specialize in anything; 2. Most chances are that the ingredients in the fridges are not exactly fresh; 3. It is better to get up and find another place to have dinner.
Back to our topic, the menu included a nice variety of antipasti, pizza and meat (inc. charcuterie) dishes, as well as a totally acceptable number of side dishes and salads. Within a few minutes we all decided on the target of our gluttony for tonight, so we signalled the waiter that we have reached a decision and it’s time to see what they know to make here at Pizza East.
For starters the three of us shared a Board out of the Counter selection – we went for Prosciutto, Gorgonzola and Pecorino (£13).
We added a huge salad with excellent goat’s cheese (£6.5), additionally we got a basket of home-made breads that were very fresh and also included olive bread that I so love dipping in the salad’s dressing.
19:15: I think I realized what this lovely restaurant is about only now that the mains arrived. They don’t play any games here, they don’t make people pay good money for small dishes or like you sometimes get ‘food samples’ on your plate. The generosity that just appeared in front of us will not shame any Italian mama and will certainly not leave anybody hungry.
Our friend YC ordered a pizza. According to him, in a place that proudly has the word Pizza as part of its name, there’s no chance in the world that he will miss this dish. YC was astonished by the size of his veal meatballs pizza (£12). In addition to the veal, they also added prosciutto and cream. Sounds weird – I must admit that the picture I took is not the most flattering to the dish (darkness and an I-Phone camera aren’t necessarily the best combination), but hey – it was so good! The dough was thin and crispy at the end, the veal was soft and mushy, the prosciutto added a gentle touch of saltiness, and the cream...what can be not good about cream ?!?
My beloved didn’t waste time as well, and as focused as only he can be, he announced in front of us and the Pizza as his witnesses, that tonight he will eat the Rib-eye steak accompanied by bone marrow and borlotti beans (Italian to the end). I won’t mince words here, the steak was grilled perfectly, only looking at it increased the activity of our drooling glands, and I think I will let the picture speak for itself.
Finally, I ordered one of the dishes I learned to appreciate and love since we moved to London – the Crispy Pork Belly. This is a slice which has a totally crispy top (called Crackling), and a very soft and smooth meaty part underneath. This slice requires relatively long cooking and is a very good fit to cold days when your body simply wants warm and homey food (without cooking at home that day). The meat was accompanied by beans and mashed potatoes which were very garlicky – too much for my taste. Should I mention that I wasn’t able to finish it? Stinginess (as in small portions) is not a known word for the folks at Pizza East, and we learned that you should arrive to this restaurant when you’re hungry, and maybe even consider sharing dishes, otherwise it’s very difficult to deal with the quantity of food on your plate.
20:00: The place is already full, noise and clamour all around us, a very young and lively atmosphere. Turns out there’s a live music club in the basement floor, where local bands that one day we might hear about them are playing – which brings a huge mass of people in to eat something before the show. The waiter comes to us and asks politely if we finished eating (since there were some leftovers) and if we want to order desserts, because there are people that will be happy to receive our table! Quite annoying I must say; we’ll stick to our table until our due time what-ever happens! (we have the table until 20:30 according to our order).
The dessert menu was very tempting, and I must admit that we had a real dilemma what to order, because everything looked good! So what do you do when you can’t make your mind? Order 3 desserts and taste all of them.
The first dessert was especially airy doughnuts covered in sugar and cinnamon, which you can dip in hot chocolate. Oh how corrupt, and well done for creating the most airy doughnut I ever had. They didn’t have the horrible taste and after taste of the cooking oil, and it was very easy to spot straight away the freshness and attention that went into preparing this dessert.
YC fancied the baked cheesecake with fresh figs and a little berries sauce on top. The biscuits were a bit too dry to my taste, but all in all the cake was very good. The part I loved the most about this dessert were the fresh figs, which were bursting with various tastes.
My beloved couldn’t miss chocolate for dessert so he ordered a chocolate and caramel tart, with a little Atlantic salt! If the salt part seems a bit weird, you should know that salt increases the taste of the chocolate, is a very good balance to the strong sweetness of the chocolate and caramel, and doesn’t cause the strong sense of sweetness that is common after you eat serious amounts of chocolate.
20:30: If only the waiter could be less strict about him wanting us to leave the table, it would’ve been a spotless evening...
If we’ll ignore the slightly rushed finish we had, it was a very successful evening, with excellent food, homey, warm, sweet, and with a slight salty taste to enrich the experience. Bella Italia!
Tube: Liverpool st.56 Shoreditch High St
E1 6JJ
020 7729 1888
