Tasting Britain
TastingBritain.co.uk - Rossopomodoro Kingston @ The John Lewis Shopping Centre, Kingston upon Thames, London
Rossopomodoro Kingston is, I believe, one of the newest in the Rossopomodoro chain of restaurants. Rossopomodoro first opened its doors in Naples in 1999, and, since then, have been slowly but surely gaining a (delicious) foothold all over the UK. Most of them seem to be located around greater London, but thereâs now a few in other parts of the UK, such as Newcastle and Birmingham. I think thereâs a few of them to be found abroad as well (I read somewhere the number is 80+ but donât quote me on that!) Anyway, the one in our very own lovely historic Kingston lives inside the John Lewis shopping centre (first floor) - and has been âtransplanted' into what I think used to be the old John Lewis cafe. The faux wooden decor is kinda at odds with the more minimal backdrop of John Lewis, but hey - all in good fun.
Atmosphere - light and on the main part family friendly. Great views over Kingstonâs High street. Many bambinos in attendance when I dragged my mother along on one cold November afternoon. Speaking of bambinos, the Rossopomodoro 'Bambini Pizza Masterclasses' are a way to force your children to concentrate on the process of learning about, making and (presumably) eating pizza. Speaking of pizza, if youâre gluten free - nearly all the pizzas on the menu can made gluten free. Best to mention this in advance of booking your table as apparently they have to reserve the dough! Other stuff to note? They open early - food starts at 0930. No way in hell Iâd eat this stuff for breakfast, or right back to sleep I would go...
Overall verdict on said food? Seems legit to me. I have been told that all the pizza chefs are Neapolitan. They use people from Neapolitan pizzaioli families (i.e families where generations of people have basically made pizza for a living). Most/all food sourced directly from the Neapolitan region of Campania (most especially the case with the meats and cheeses anyway!). Pizzas made with flour from Naples and lovingly immolated in a wood fired oven (which, from the outside, looks a bit like a cross between a still and the space suits from Sunshineâ¦). The menu is unhealthy - but you knew this, right? Mainly pizza and pasta with a few Neapolitan specialities (probably some stuff youâve not yet seen - unusual takes on traditional Italian foods, but no gastronomic reinventions of the wheelâ¦). The wine list is pretty reasonable, nothing too expensive, and mainly Italian. Thereâs also a limited selection of (mainly Italian) cocktails. Get a delicious negroni :3
Hereâs a kinda relevant piece of trivia I read a while back: apparently, though the idea of people putting stuff onto flatbreads has existed for thousands of years ('proto pizzas?â), the first "Pizza Margheritaâ was made in Naples in June 1889, in honour of the Queen consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy. It was created by a Neapolitan pizza maker, Raffaele Esposito, who garnished the top with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil - which represented the national colours of Italy. So thank Raffaele (and Naples), the next time you go to town on one of those bad boys!
All in all - pretty damned impressive for a chain restaurant and one I wouldnât hesitate to recommend to anyone who ever enjoyed an Italian meal. Like pizza and pasta more than the average bear? Give this a try. Just remember not to eat much before you go ^_^
TastingBritain.co.uk - Rossopomodoro Kingston @ The John Lewis Shopping Centre, Kingston upon Thames, London
Rossopomodoro Kingston is, I believe, one of the newest in the Rossopomodoro chain of restaurants. Rossopomodoro first opened its doors in Naples in 1999, and, since then, have been slowly but surely gaining a (delicious) foothold all over the UK. Most of them seem to be located around greater London, but thereâs now a few in other parts of the UK, such as Newcastle and Birmingham. I think thereâs a few of them to be found abroad as well (I read somewhere the number is 80+ but donât quote me on that!) Anyway, the one in our very own lovely historic Kingston lives inside the John Lewis shopping centre (first floor) - and has been âtransplanted' into what I think used to be the old John Lewis cafe. The faux wooden decor is kinda at odds with the more minimal backdrop of John Lewis, but hey - all in good fun.
Atmosphere - light and on the main part family friendly. Great views over Kingstonâs High street. Many bambinos in attendance when I dragged my mother along on one cold November afternoon. Speaking of bambinos, the Rossopomodoro 'Bambini Pizza Masterclasses' are a way to force your children to concentrate on the process of learning about, making and (presumably) eating pizza. Speaking of pizza, if youâre gluten free - nearly all the pizzas on the menu can made gluten free. Best to mention this in advance of booking your table as apparently they have to reserve the dough! Other stuff to note? They open early - food starts at 0930. No way in hell Iâd eat this stuff for breakfast, or right back to sleep I would go...
Overall verdict on said food? Seems legit to me. I have been told that all the pizza chefs are Neapolitan. They use people from Neapolitan pizzaioli families (i.e families where generations of people have basically made pizza for a living). Most/all food sourced directly from the Neapolitan region of Campania (most especially the case with the meats and cheeses anyway!). Pizzas made with flour from Naples and lovingly immolated in a wood fired oven (which, from the outside, looks a bit like a cross between a still and the space suits from Sunshineâ¦). The menu is unhealthy - but you knew this, right? Mainly pizza and pasta with a few Neapolitan specialities (probably some stuff youâve not yet seen - unusual takes on traditional Italian foods, but no gastronomic reinventions of the wheelâ¦). The wine list is pretty reasonable, nothing too expensive, and mainly Italian. Thereâs also a limited selection of (mainly Italian) cocktails. Get a delicious negroni :3
Hereâs a kinda relevant piece of trivia I read a while back: apparently, though the idea of people putting stuff onto flatbreads has existed for thousands of years ('proto pizzas?â), the first "Pizza Margheritaâ was made in Naples in June 1889, in honour of the Queen consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy. It was created by a Neapolitan pizza maker, Raffaele Esposito, who garnished the top with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil - which represented the national colours of Italy. So thank Raffaele (and Naples), the next time you go to town on one of those bad boys!
All in all - pretty damned impressive for a chain restaurant and one I wouldnât hesitate to recommend to anyone who ever enjoyed an Italian meal. Like pizza and pasta more than the average bear? Give this a try. Just remember not to eat much before you go ^_^