I'm not sure how long this place has occupied this space in Shoreditch. Online suggests 2015. I was used to it housing the branch of Yalla Yalla that I enjoyed during its short inception in 2013 (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/yalla-yalla-london-02-2013-03-2013-05-2013-10-2013). However now this little haven has a foosball table, actual seating tables rather than the short stools of old, and the food has been replaced by a pizza place, a mexican place and a relatively quiet burger stand. I suppose the good news is that where the portaloo with alcohol handrub used to be is now an outdoor seating area to accommodate the smokers.
I actually wanted Dishoom but a 45min wait just for 1 seat wasn't going to cut it. I planned to look at the food vans I've seen in the petrol station looking lot down the road but they were closed on Sunday. So I ended up here, finally trapped by the idea of 60 second sourdough pizza.
Franco Manca still remains one of my favourite pizza places of all time, all over the world. His cookbook taught me how to make pizza at home. How would this place compare?
I enjoy anchovies immensely but the dude recommended the mushroom pizza as being good. So be it. There's a very nice chewy fluffed base with reasonable seasoning to it. And the taste of the sauce and ingredients is good too. What I didn't like was how the outer half of the pizza (so more than half in area terms) had no toppings. And when you pick up a slice, the centre caves and all the ingredients slide off. It may be more fun to eat like that picking up ingredients with your fingers but it isn't better. I suppose I wouldn't mind so much so I didn't have to move ingredients toward the pizza crust to spare it out more.
I'd still be willing to go try the anchovy one and the Mexican stand there, but it's not an essential eat. I'd prefer finding Franco again.