The Best Pizza in London - Rossopomodoro

I recently visited this new Italian Pizzeria in London?s Covent Garden. Highly recommended by my Italian friend Bruno, who will not go anywhere else for his pizza fix, I came to Rossopomodoro armed with a lovely bunch of Italian foodies and very high expectations.

The décor is simple and functional with some nice touches like the golden mosaic tiles used for the wood oven. We were quickly shown to our table on the upper level, and were soon greeted by the friendly staff. I found the upstairs dining area more relaxing - the lighting is dimmer and the area has a more elegant feel than the busy ground floor. It was a Saturday evening, the place was busy and the atmosphere boisterous.

We soon ordered a selection of starters to share ? ?A Parmigiana? @ £6 (fried aubergines with mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, parmesan and basil) ? this was quite delicious but the portion was on the small side. I cook this at home whenever I have vegetarians coming for dinner, it is easy to prepare and a real crowd pleaser.

?A Tiella? @ £6 (mixed fritters ? fried dough balls with tomato and parmesan, fried breaded mozzarella, deep-fried potato dumplings and rice balls) ? this was disappointing ? the potato dumplings and rice balls were lacking in seasoning and were not as hot as they should have been. Presentation was not great either.

?A Bufala? @ £11.20 ? the mozzarella was definitely very fresh and utterly delicious but again the rather naïve presentation and ungenerous sized portion detracted from the overall experience. The buffalo mozzarella is flown in from Naples and was by far the best mozzarella I have ever tasted.

We ordered a couple of bottles of the House Wine which at £14 were quite drinkable. Beyond the House Wines, red wines start at £16 and whites at £20 which we thought a little dear. I would like to comment on their bad choice of plates ? they look suitable for children?s parties but not for a restaurant.

The pizza names and toppings are unusual in the UK - I am told by my friend Massimo, a Southerner from Avelino that these are very typical Neapolitan ingredients and names. I am intrigued by Fru Fru which @ £10 contains, among other ingredients, friarielli (Neapolitan wild turnip tops) and sausages - two ingredients that apparently always go together as pizza toppings.

Rossopomodoro has Neapolitan mineral water flown in to make their pizza dough. It certainly helps to create a fine dough ? it was deliciously chewy, and charred by the wood fire, the dough had great elasticity and flavour; it was definitely different from any other fine pizza bases I have had before.

All my friends were also highly impressed by their pizze and calzone, and the overall opinion was that Rossopomodoro?s pizze were authentic and pretty good.