Via Copenhagen! Mother Restaurant.
The original Mother pizza restaurant is based in the trendy meat-packing district of the Danish capital and has, over the past 10 years, obtained quite a bit of a cult following – particularly for their signature sourdough pizzas made with purified seawater.
Mother London opened their pizzeria on the banks of the River Thames next to the iconic Battersea Power Station this summer, but with a completely different type of interior; instead of the ultra-modern white and cool Danish interior of the original the designers have worked with the space in the railway arch to create something warm, cosy and inviting. We were assured that even in winter with the open archway it would still be warm inside due to a very clever system which pushes away the cold air.
We arrived in the midst of a thunderstorm and were very pleased to get out of the torrential rain (although it didn’t last for long). Settling down with a pint of cask craft ale and an Aperol Spritz we started to make our choices from the menu.
The chef suggested that we tried the mixed antipasti with focaccia, and we happily agreed.
The cured meats were freshly sliced by the chefs and the vegetables were really interesting, the fennel bulb and the red onion had both been lightly pickled, whilst the courgette was seasoned beautifully preventing it from being the bland vegetable that it sometimes can be. The focaccia wasn’t leavened, it was more of a pizza base, but no less delicious for that.
We were ready for our pizzas. I’d opted for one called “Nick says it’s good”, which promised mozzarella, cauliflower, olives, anchovies, capers, chilli and pecorino cheese. I’m not sure who Nick is, but I did like the sound of this, although I don’t think that I’ve ever seen cauliflower on pizza before. It arrived with the pizza crust looking perfect. I don’t think that this worked 100% as the moisture from the cheeses left the middle of the pizza seeming a little soggy, although I could see from the bottom that it was properly cooked. I loved the toppings though, as you can see, the cauliflower was very dainty and added a nice crunch against the anchovies and capers.
We were then treated to a creamy Tiramisu, I say we, but I only managed one spoonful as I was so full!
We loved the fact that the oven had been imported from Italy, and that we could see the chefs hard at work.
Mother pizza restaurant was buzzing on a Friday night, initially with families with children, and then with groups of friends clearly enjoying the food and the lovely atmosphere. The staff were attentive throughout, with chilled carafes of water replaced regularly, and everything served with genuine warmth and concern that we were enjoying the food. We wish Mother every success.
Mother London Pizza Restaurant
Circus West Village,
2 Arches Lane, London SW11 8AB
http://www.motherrestaurant.co.uk/
Disclosure: We were guests of Mother Restaurant.
Sounds like it’s my kind of place.
What great looking pizzas