Pizza Reviews: Ria's and Fatto a Mano
It's a tale of two halves for this review. Bookending my trip back to the East Midlands to see my parents for my Dad's birthday, I went to two pizzerias in London, one good and one bad.
Let's start with the good: Ria's in Notting Hill is a relatively new opening that does Detroit-style pizza either by the slice or as whole pies. For the unitiated, Detroit-style pizzas (also known as red brick) are rectangular pies (rather than the more customary circular) with a thick base and a light layer of tomato and cheese, as well as any other additional toppings. They are similar to Sicilian pizzas, which just so happen to be my favourite, but differ in that Detroit pizzas have much crispier edges. They achieve this by melting cheese around the edges to the point that the cheese is burnt, making for an exceptionally brittle and chewy edge.
I've only tried one other Detroit-style pizza in London, from Bad Boy Pizza Society. Those pizzas were bad; these pizzas are not. The slice I had from Ria's was their house standard pizza, consisting of cheese and tomato, with a touch of lemon and pesto drizzle. The marinara sauce was interesting and flavourful due to the chili pepper that gives it a nice kick (not a traditional marinara sauce, but tasty nonetheless), and the dough itself and the edges were a good accounting of a Detroit pizza. It could be the best iteration of this style of pizza in London, though I will reserve judgement until after I've tried a couple more that are on my hit list.
Then, returning to KX station on the Sunday, I went to Fatto a Mano by the station. I was intrigued by this place as the Neapolitan pizzas that they serve up look authentic, and the Lasagne pizza that they offer (beef ragu with mozzarella and basil, pictured top) cleaves close to home. Would it live up to the Bolognese pizza from Fantasia in Mablethorpe?
No. While the pizza was actually quite tasty, structurally it was horrendous, impossible to eat without a knife and fork. The crusts were good though; they had just stretched the dough to be too thin for use. A pity, but I can't recommend this pizza, unless you enjoy your pizza to more closely resemble soup.
Ria's Notting Hill? c. £6 a slice or c. £20 a pizza. It's good, and if you like or are intrigued by the style, I would recommend a visit!
Fatto a Mano? c. £15 for a pizza. One of the worst neapolitan pizzas that I've had. Pass.
