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Peckham people, consider yourselves fortunate: this new Neapolitan spot was originally supposed to be called ‘Lucky Gin & The Beautiful Pizza Boy’. There’s truth in the title though – the space looks great: bright and airy, with deco-luxe lighting, artfully half-tiled masonry and a dome oven plonked in the centre.
But is it the pizzeria that Peckham deserves? Alas not. Fried polenta was under-seasoned, while a ‘tomato side salad’ comprised a small bowl of flavourless dittorini cherries (the menu had also promised plum) and cipolline onion, dulled with balsamic.
Pizzas were okay. An ’nduja and spicy salami diavolo had decent heat and a puffy, charred and chewy cornicione, but was over-slick with cheese (not a common criticism). The ‘cime’, on the other hand, featured an overabundance of bitter broccoli and not enough pecorino. Grimmer still, the hen’s egg (aka ‘egg’) on top was underdone, strands of albumen drifting around the plate like ectoplasm. Drinkswise, a Rosa Verde cocktail sounded great on paper (Campari dust!) but was cloyingly sweet, though the Mescolata was savoury with beetroot and intensely refreshing. So that’s something.
This pizza boy may be a looker – but there’s not much behind the eyes.