Radio Alice
67 Venn St, Clapham, SW4 0BD Telephone: 0207 627 3881 It’s not often that the two people who publish American in Britain magazine get the chance to actually sit down together for dinner, but I am delighted to say a couple of weeks before this issue went to print, Damian and I laid aside our proof reading (although we both took it on the train with us as we didn’t really have a minute to spare), and made our separate ways to Clapham Common to enjoy an evening of delicious Italian starters and pizzas, and what delighted me the most when I woke up the next morning, was that I hadn’t gained any weight, which I usually do having tucked into garlic bread, cold meats and pizza, so I honestly believe that the way the dough is specially made at Radio Alice, really is a much healthy option, and as much as I like Pizza Express, I think that I will be hopping back on the train for the pizza that is equally, if not more delicious, but that will also keep the weight off! Hailing from Bologna, brothers Matteo and Salvatore Aloe have brought their sourdough pizzas to London initially with Radio Alice on Hoxton Square, but Damian and I visited their newest opening on Clapham’s Venn Street that opened last June, and is situated just by Clapham Common station, in a pedestrianised road, with several restaurants and bars, and lovely outdoor lighting. The restaurant also has large tables outside, so I am already visualising my outdoor pizza experience once spring/summer arrives. Championing the belief that delicious pizza starts with a light and digestible sourdough base, (which I can now champion with them!), the brothers’ integrity in ingredients extends from the dough through to carefully sourced toppings. Allowing the dough to ferment for 24 hours, Radio Alice’s pizzaiolos use type 1 organic flour, with more nutrients than standard, refined flour and seasonal, organic toppings from Prosciutto di Parma with organic burrata and orange infused oil, 6
AMERICAN IN BRITAIN
to Amalfi coast Anchovies, tomato, red onion and lemon zest. The recipe was born in Bologna, and uses ancient baking techniques to help make the pizzas crisp on the outside and soft in the inside. By blending organic, stoneground flour with a mother yeast sourdough, they’ve created a base that’s light and nutritious. Using ingredients sourced from small-scale Italian suppliers, the toppings are portioned perfectly onto each slice and added at just the right moment, so you’ll enjoy them when they’re at their best. The atmosphere in the restaurant was relaxed, informal and buzzy, and we sat in one of the booths, alongside a party of 16 who thoroughly enjoyed their evening at Radio Alice! Our waitresses were lovely helpful and welcoming, and gave us the feeling that we really were in a family run restaurant somewhere in beautiful Italy! We started our dining experience with Garlic Bread (£2.50) and a Salumi Share Platter (£8), and enjoyed the sour dough garlic bread so much that we devoured a second portion! The menu at Radio Alice isn’t extensive and there is a choice of eleven pizzas, ranging in price from £5 for Tomato – garlic, parsley, to £12 for Proscuitto di Parma
– burrata, fiordilatte mozzarella, orange oil, but we chose the Butternut Squash – porcini mushrooms, Parmigiano Reggiano, black garlic, fiodilatte mozzarella (£10) and Speck – gorgonzola, fiodilatte mozzarella, honey, walnuts (£11). Both arrived pre-cut which was great as it made sharing very easy, and I did remark to our lovely waitress that they looked exactly the same as the photos they had on the internet (which was a good thing!). They were light, fluffy and crispy, and the toppings were original and delicious. You can order extras such as Chilli oil, garlic butter, olives, capers and anchovies, but in my opinion they don’t need any extras. There are also a selection of salads to choose from, but we weren’t feeling that health conscious that night! Following our pizzas, and having had a short rest to enjoy the last of our wine (the house wine is very good and priced at (£18.25), we chose a dessert each. Damian chose the Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake, which I didn’t really see as he devoured it so quickly (!) and I had a scoop of really chocolatey chocolate ice cream. Radio Alice is a great venue for friends and families, and we hope you enjoy your visit there as much as we did, although we both had to get straight back to work once we left to finalise our proof reading!