Pizza Pilgrims Pizzeria & Friggitoria will
open tomorrow near Carnaby Street. It will be the second venue from street food stars turned restaurateurs Thom and James Elliott (pictured from left to right), who opened their first Pizza Pilgrims restaurant in Soho just a year ago. We spoke to James about what to expect, his thoughts on
London’s pizza scene and what’s next for Pizza Pilgrims.
What will be different about the new restaurant?
The main change will be the introduction of a deep fat fryer in the kitchen. In Naples there are dozens of little hole-in-the-wall friggitoria that sell deep fried snacks like arancini and stuffed
courgette flowers, we want to bring a little taste of that to London. We will also have frittatine di maccheroni, which are essentially mac ‘n’ cheese balls stuffed with ragu and smoked mozzarella.
They’re dangerously moreish and good with a beer or two.
And will all the same pizzas still be available?
We’ll still be serving the same core pizza menu that we have at Dean Street, yes. We are also going to be serving pizza fritta - a traditional deep fried calzone stuffed with ricotta, smoked
mozzarella and porchetta. We're excited to try and change people’s ideas of deep fried battered pizza from the chip shop to this surprisingly light neapolitan classic.
Are all your dishes true to the Neapolitan originals?
I have just got back from working at one of the most famous pizzerias and friggitorias in Naples, Di Matteo. I got to spend time in
the kitchen and learn how to make all the dishes in their most traditional form. In the most part we want to stick to this, but as we’ve done with our pizzas we might make a few little tweaks here
and there.
You’re opening this second branch just down the road from the original in Soho, were you not tempted to go further afield?
I think we love Soho too much to move. We served our first ever pizza on Berwick Street market two years ago and have loved the area ever since. We did consider heading to a different part of town
but the opportunity came up to open up just off Carnaby Street and it was hard to refuse.
Do you have plans for more Pizza Pilgrims restaurants after this?
We don’t know, Thom has a new baby so the next generation of Pilgrims is on the way. Babies tend to take up quite a lot of time so we don’t want to rush into anything. Saying that, this has all
been such a surreal experience already; we’re ready to carry on if people keep eating the pizza.
What are your thoughts on London’s pizza scene?
I think it has come a long way in the last five years or so. Thankfully it looks like we’re starting to see fewer sausage-stuffed crusts and Thai green curry pizzas and more authentic pizzerias
that really care about the product. I think in general people seem to be more interested in what they’re eating so the change has happened across London restaurants as a whole, not just pizza.
What pizza restaurants in
London do you rate?
There are some great places now: Santa Maria in Ealing, Franco Manca (pictured right), Bravi Ragazzi in Streatham,
Homeslice in Covent Garden, and I love what Voodoo Rays are doing in Dalston.
What is your all-time favourite pizza topping?
It sounds boring, but I love the margherita, simple but perfect. As long as you use good dough, tomatoes and mozzarella you can’t go wrong.
And what’s the most outrageously wrong pizza you’ve ever tried?
I’ve eaten some terrible pizzas. Up in Leeds I had a doner kebab pizza with chilli sauce and garlic mayo. I think I may have had a beer or two beforehand…
Pizza Pilgrims Pizzeria & Friggitoria opens on 23 July
Published 23 July 2014