Simple, Tasty And Traditionally Made - Proper Italian Pizza
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Pizza. Is there any high street without a pizza place on it? Granted it’s usually a chain but it means we never envy the task of opening a new pizza restaurant. After all what can it offer beyond what Londoners have already experienced?
Taking on that tough challenge is Farina — a new pizza restaurant close to Notting Hill Gate station. But is it a slice above the rest?
It's a Neapolitan style pizzeria transported to London and the menu has all the basics we’d expect to encounter. The interior is simple too and it reminds us of the family run restaurants that may be found in the back streets of Italian cities, away from the tourists and where real Italians eat.
We kick off with some Parmigiana Napoletana to share — layered aubergines with tomatoes, mozzarella and parmesan. It's a good solid, it’s dense, full of flavour and substantial enough that we feel ready for our mains.
If we’re going to have a pizza in a Neapolitan restaurant then it makes sense to go for a Napoletana — they should know this one best. In true Italian style the pizza comes with sparing toppings, not overloaded as we often find at other places. This allows us to get the full hit of the tomato base before we get the flavoursome kick from the capers and the anchovies.
The crust is soft, air-filled and just the right level of chewiness — nothing lets down a pizza like a base that feels like a chore to eat. The dough is slow fermented on site over 48 hours, and you can definitely tell.
Dessert is a delicious cannolo filled with luxuriously rich ricotta and delicately sprinkled with crushed pistachios. This sweet tooth thought it was the perfect way to round out a proper Italian meal.
Farina isn’t trying to revolutionise pizza by throwing in strange combinations of ingredients or launching a new pizza fad. It’s asking us to eat pizza the way the Italians would — simple, tasty and traditionally made — and they've got it spot on.
Farina Pizzeria Napoletana is at 115 Notting Hill Gate, W11 3LB. The meal in the review would cost £15 a head excluding drinks.
Last Updated 15 May 2019
