Union Jacks

Time Out says

Wed Nov 7 2012

Is there such a thing as a British pizzeria? According to Jamie Oliver, there is. Though British ingredients take centre stage (as you might guess from the name), the celebrity chef’s love affair with all things Italian means you’re never far from la dolce vita, either. Modish small plates include sausages wrapped in bacon with a sage mustard, or cured salami from Monmouthshire’s Trealy farm served with piccalilli and radishes.

Pizzas come with what might pass as sandwich toppings (and are billed as ‘wood-fired flat-breads’, perhaps in a bid to see off anyone after a ‘fiorentina’) – so don’t be surprised to find combinations such as roast pork with a quince and Bramley apple sauce, stilton from Nottinghamshire’s Cropwell Bishop, and sprigs of watercress. We were blown away by our ‘red ox’, which came scattered with morsels of slow-cooked oxtail and brisket, molten Red Leicester cheese and tendrils of just-grated horseradish. It was a pity then, that the ‘Empire chicken’ – from the grills section – had been smothered in a overpoweringly lemony marinade dominated by coriander seeds.

This branch, housed under cover but in the open air of Covent Garden’s market, can be a little chilly come winter (though individual heated seating helps). But service is a plus: the staff couldn’t be more cheeky, cheery and chappy, than if Mr Oliver was out back cloning himself.