Pizzas from Cucina è When in London, Eat in RomeÞ

Tel 020 7928 3300 or 020 7633 9777

Cucina
020 7407 1515

www.pizzecucina.co.uk

For anyone who loves Italian food, the creation of Cucina (´kitchen°), the new and uncompromisingly authentic pizza delivery service, is little short of an act of God. I first heard about it when my neighbour called out over the garden wall ´I must tell you about these pizzasÞthey°re the best I°ve ever tastedÞyou°d think you were in Italy°. Not usually prone to evangelising, the Cucina experience had converted him into a man with a message: ´You°ve got to try them.° We did. And we have been spreading the word ever since.

They are seriously good. Thin-based Roman-style pizzas, with an amazing array of wonderful ingredients to go on top. The familiar favourites are all orderable, though it takes a moment to recognize them on the menu  è ´margherita classica: cherry mozzarella, vine ripened Sicilian cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, basil oil and oregano° (£7.75/10.75); ´quattro stagioni: prosciutto cotto, field mushrooms, anchovies, black olives artichoke heart, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil° (£11.50/14.50). Or you can go for one of the many more unusual propositions, like ´borghese: porchetta (roasted suckling pig), sauteed spinach, crÏme fraiche, truffle oil and fresh rosemary, no tomato (£12.75/15.75).

Alternatively, you can do what I did, which was grab the phone in a rush, fumble for the number I°d scribbled down on a scrap of paper which was miraculously still not yet lost, dial the number with no menu to refer to and announce imploringly that I needed a really big pizza (they do 12î and 17î) to share with another adult and a toddler - who loves black olives but won°t eat anything green - so could they possibly suggest something? The Italian voice on the other end of the phone seemed pleased to rise to the challenge and made his suggestion, which turned out to be so delicious that (I confess) the whole thing was scoffed indecently soon after arrival. In our defence, let me say this policy is advisable, since it°s absolutely crucial to eat them hot. When that one arrived it was miraculously as if from the oven, with the tomato still liquid and the mozzarella still soft. Admittedly this must have involved a bit of luck, but in any case if you prefer meals to be a slightly more extended social experience, I would advise hot plates and possibly a hot oven at the ready.

And it°s not just pizzas. You can order antipasti for starters (including the perfect solution for people-who-can°t-decide: antipasto misto - a combo of smoked meats, grilled vegetables and fresh cheeses); and there°s a difficult choice of salads too; and wines; and puddingsÞ I still haven°t tried the puddings yet, but this can only be a matter for profound regret: they not only do real fruit sorbets and traditional Italian gelati, but also that most traditional and most comforting of Italian puds, sweet creamy panna cotta.

At first glance the menu perhaps reads a bit too sophisticated for its own good, but don°t be put off. The traditional ethos of Italian cookery is what it°s all about è simplicity and great ingredients. Once or twice I°ve ordered something that sounded a bit over-the-top but when it arrived it all made perfect pizza sense. Everything is titled in Italian but comes with translation, and in my experience the fancy dishes are in no way faddy or pretentious. Every creation here has a robust pedigree of rustic authenticity - your taste buds can do the talking.

Miranda Fricker