In the nineties, pizza was pretty dire. You could only really get your hands on thick-based, gloopy-topped things from Domino's and Pizza Hut – as a kid I thought that if you peeled back the cheese, the bases looked like brains. Then in the mid-nineties, Pizza Express expanded and popped up in every city, offering thinner, crispier bases, much more akin to the real Italian deal.
The big players in the pizza game weren’t going to sit on their laurels though. They reacted by attempting to outdo each other, launching increasingly bizarre stuffed crusts: cheese was fair enough but Marmite? Burgers? Kebab meat? And the biggest sinner, hot dog stuffed crust. It’s just wrong.
In recent years there has been another movement, where a stuffed crust would only be tabled with post-modern irony. Led by people who actually love pizza, have a passion for decent dough and are up for experimenting with topping combinations. Nottingham has got some strong fighters in the battle against shit pizza and the latest member to join the army is Louis who runs his eponymous kitchen, Louis Louis Pizza and Deli Emporium, inside Das Kino on Fletcher Gate.
I’m not into ham and pineapple on a pizza, it’s a personal preference thing. But I was forced to order one because Louis has named his version – using sweet chilli glaze, shredded ham hock and jalapenos – The Left Lion (£8, 9”). A good pizza with a thin base and bubbly crust. My mate had the Herby-vore, which boasted herb-roasted Mediterranean vegetables, spinach and pesto. A few too many veggies meant the base wasn’t as crispy as mine, but it’s still a damn fine pizza (£8, 9”).
Over the summer I ditched my usual craft ales and discovered some very moreish lagers such as Berliner Pilsner (£4.40) which is now available on tap at Das Kino, seriously good for the return of laid-back summer evenings – bear that in mind.
We had a couple of sides to complement the pizza. The RWG (£4) was a good blend of rocket, watercress, shaved parmesan and slow roasted tomatoes. The Green Dream (£4), spinach, rocket, watercress, radish, cucumber, macerated fennel and a herb creme fraiche.
Next time, I’m ordering the You’re Gonna need a Bigger Boat pizza – the combination of hot smoked salmon, anchovies, black olive tapenade and lemon oil sounds very grown-up and has got to be a winner. They’ve nailed down some nice little offers too: ‘Humpday Heaven’ every Wednesday serves up a large pizza (14”), potato wedges and two cocktails for £20. Ash Dilks
22 Fletcher Gate, NG1 2FZ. 0115 947 3132
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