Having been invited to a private viewing at an art gallery in trendy Fitzrovia, my immediate concern upon leaving Goodge Street Tube station, having carried out the mandatory phone, wallet, keys check, was to where I should eat.
Fortunately in this area of London you are spoilt for choice, given the diversity and sheer brilliance of Goodge Street and its neighbours when it comes to choice of restaurant.
On this particular occasion I decided to venture into the Italian Coffee Company, or ICCo as it prefers to be known. Sited on the corner of Goodge Street and Charlotte Street, this place is like a beacon with its cool interior and large windows, aimed at enticing the bright young people of Fitzrovia in to this thriving lair of freshly cooked pizza and Italian coffees.
As a single diner (yet again!) my initial worry was one of where to sit, seemingly looking out of place in my navy blue Zara Man coat and pinstriped suit amongst the skinny jeans and neon t-shirts that abounded, however a seat was spied and quickly claimed on one of the several high stainless-steel tables.
Leaving my copy of Brideshead Revisited on the table as a reminder to people that firstly the seat was taken but more importantly, that I do indeed read classics, I went up to the self-order counter and having previously been studying the menu opted for an 11” Capricciosa to eat in.
I was joined at the table by a group of American students and sat waiting what turned out to be around five minutes for my pizza to arrive, the pizza chefs literally make the bases and top them out right in front of you, so I was able to monitor the journey of the aforementioned Capricciosa from kitchen to pizza oven to plate, with the aid of a large pizza shovel.
‘Oliver’ was quietly called across the PA system and up I went to claim my prize, already planning my escape route in the event that I somehow managed to drop the pizza during transit from one stainless-steel counter to the next. Fortunately that issue never arose, and I even managed to grab a knife and fork wrapped in a plain white serviette with which to eat.
The pizza was piping hot and delicately topped with ham, mushroom, black olives, mozzarella cheese, tomato and basil sauce, although the menu does draw attention to the fact that turkey ham is a substitute for ham! In this instance, I never knew a fusion of pig and turkey could go so well on an 11” dough base.
Despite positively oozing with mozzarella, the pizza was in no way oily and was perfectly cooked, helped surely by the authentic and dedicated pizza oven that commands one corner of the restaurant.
At £5.30 these pizzas aren’t even comparable to the likes of Pizza Express, offering unbelievable value and using fresh ingredients in an environment that is wonderfully individual and offering a real buzz of what should surely be considered Real London.
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