Ok, ok, this isn't an authentic Bella Vita picture. I'm sorry, ok?
So it’s taken me a while, but I’m finally getting round to talking about the new pizza place on Broadway Market.
La Bella Vita has taken up residency in a double front unit that used to be a betting shop if I remember rightly. And it’s really quite good. The boy Savage and I went the other night and a follow up trip for lunch with the Angry Liberal didn’t disappoint.
Thus far I have only tried the pizzas. A Capriosa was good, thin slightly chewy base, fresh generous toppings with a decent amount of anchovies. The house speciality Bella Vita was even better, though I couldn’t help thinking it was a bit like a Il Baccio, from Stoke Newington’s finest pizzeria, but not quite as good.
The puddings are rubbish. Liberal’s cheescake tasted a bit off and a lemon and almond tart was dry and lacking in zing.
And I’m not quite sure how I feel about the atmosphere of the place. It makes me smirk in a nasty ‘oh really, you’re not very cool’ school girl manner that they declare themselves to be part of “the vibrant, artistic community of Broadway Market”. Crackheads over there? They’re talking about you.
The decoration is also not quite right: those cliched “Italian” poster and memorabilia are just a bit naff and inauthentic and the tables are a bit too close together. Oh god, and the music is TERRIBLE. The other day I plonked myself down on one of those perfect poser- watching window seats, only to have the enjoyment of my coffee annihilated by the entirety of Simply Red’s greatest hits. My pizza took on a distinctly melancholic flavour over lunch when the Smiths played throughout. Now, I’m a big fan of the Smiths, but I don’t want to hear my (very close) neighbour warbling along to it while I choke on my chilli oil.
Still, the fact that the place is absolutely packed almost every night of the week shows that they must be doing something right. Even if it is just the fact that they have picked the perfect spot for an inexpensive, simple, tasty, restaurant.
So now that I’ve had an obligatory moan, I’m going to give it a big thumbs up. The staff are really nice, the food is good and at around £30 for two pizzas and a bottle of wine, you really can’t complain. Apart from I can, and did, but you know what I mean.
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