Who doesn't love a cheeky mid-week pizza? Regular readers will know that my addiction to pizza is long-lasting and completely unavoidable. Recently I've been craving a real Italian-inspired feast, with plenty of cheese, olives and of course pizza, so the invitation to review Zia Lucia was well received.
We enjoyed our review on quite literally the hottest day in London since the dawn of time. Add to that the ROASTING stone oven inside the restaurant and we were sweating out of our skin. A delightful start to the review, I know. The manager kindly relocated us to sweat outside where it then proceeded to rain. Happy days - gotta love the British weather.
After a few sips of a lovely Prosecco, we began with an Italian sharing board with meats, cheese, olives and garlic pizza bread with a side of runny honey. The trio of cheeses included an ultra-soft sheep's milk that worked beautifully spread on the garlic bread with a drizzle of honey; a hard goats cheese and pecorino. I didn't tuck into the slivers of Italian meats but my guests inform me that the salty morsels were quite delicious. I was very happy with my cheese. The olives were fine but a little soft for my taste. 
For the main event, I opted for a wholemeal base pizza with gorgonzola, mozzarella, apples and an olive tapenade. If I am completely honest, I sadly really didn't enjoy the flavours :( I really like all of them individually but something about them all coming together just didn't work for me. I think the saltiness of the olives and the gorgonzola wasn't quite matched by the tart apples and I was left a little disappointed.
My guests, however, we really very happy with their pizzas. One chose the charcoal base (brilliant for cleansing the liver after the Prosecco) with plenty of vibrant toppings including tomato, fresh sausage and, wait for it, broccoli. I actually really like broccoli on a pizza and the finished look was really impressive. This guest is normally gluten free and she reported no stomach upset after indulging in this intriguing pizza.
My second guest enjoyed a wholemeal base with lashings of Parma ham, Parmigiano cheese and rocket. This vibrant pizza encompassed all the best flavours of Italy and worked beautifully together. The salty ham and rich Parmigiano were a great compliment to the bitter rocket leaves and sweet tomato base. The wholemeal base also aided with digestion and my guest reported she did not feel bloated at all after this pizza. A weird thing to consider but when you want to really indulge in a whole pizza you don't want to feel uncomfortable after!
I really enjoyed my visit to Zia Lucia, despite the fact I didn't enjoy my own pizza. The starter sharing board was really delicious and highlighted some really lovely deli-items. I wish Zia Lucia had its own deli where I could purchase that milky sheep's cheese! The atmosphere is so lovely and inviting and the staff are all incredibly friendly. I'll be ordering takeaway again soon!
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