Rossopomo were born in the home of pizza and claimed to have never forgot their roots. Now that there’s one in lovely Kingston, and having heard tales of amazing and edible Neapolitan things, our Jack takes his mother along to see if there was something to it all. Overall verdict: yes there is…!
Rating:
Cuisine:
Neapolitan
Appeals To:
Pizza explorers, neophytes, enthusiasts and seekers. As I shall say a few times (and shall say a few times more) – Neapolitan pizza is something that anyone who ever enjoyed a pizza needs to try. And if you’ve already had a (good) Neopolitan pizza, then I (and a few Italians I know) can assure you that this is a pretty good place to get one in London (even if it is a chain, yes…)
Families and the ‘average’ British restaurant goer (whatever that means). This place is family friendly (read more about that below) and when was the last time you met a kid who didn’t like carby, cheesy Italian things? They serve is the kind of rich food that appeals to most people, and although it’s not cheap, it’s not expensive either. And so, like many ‘averagedly’ priced restaurants, you could certainly come here with people who are important to you and eat pretty well, if you stuck to water (though you might miss the opportunity for some delicious Sicilian vino…)
In a Word
Cheerful
Cucina Napoletana
Rossopomodoro Kingston is, I believe, one of the newest in the Rossopomodoro chain of restaurants. Rossopomodoro first opened its doors in Naples in 1999, and, since then, have been slowly but surely gaining a (delicious) foothold all over the UK. Most of them seem to be located around greater London, but there’s now a few in other parts of the UK, such as Newcastle and Birmingham.
I think there’s also a few of them to be found abroad as well (I read somewhere the number is 80+ but don’t quote me on that!) Anyway, the one in our very own lovely historic Kingston lives inside the John Lewis shopping centre (first floor) – and has been ‘transplanted’ into what I think used to be the old John Lewis cafe…
The Ambiance
The restaurant’s faux wooden decor is kinda at odds with the more minimal, white backdrop of John Lewis, but hey – all in good fun.
Atmosphere: light and on the main part family friendly. Great views over Kingston’s High street. Many bambinos in attendance when I dragged my mother along on one cold November afternoon.
Speaking of bambinos, the Rossopomodoro ‘Bambini Pizza Masterclasses’ are a way to force your children to concentrate on the process of learning about, making and (presumably) eating pizza…
The Food
Speaking of pizza, if you’re gluten free – nearly all the pizzas on the menu can made gluten free. Best to mention this in advance of booking your table as apparently they have to reserve the dough!
Overall verdict on said food? Seems legit to me.
I have been told that all the pizza chefs are Neapolitan. They use people from Neapolitan pizzaioli families (i.e families where generations of people have basically made pizza for a living). Most/all food is sourced directly from the Neapolitan region of Campania (most especially the case with the meats and cheeses anyway!). The pizzas made with flour from Naples and lovingly immolated in a wood fired oven (which, from the outside, looks a bit like a cross between a still and one of the space suits from Sunshine…).
The menu is pretty unhealthy – but you knew this, right? Sure, you can get a salad but the salad is probably going to contain a huge slab of cheese. Embrace it. The dishes are mainly pizza and pasta with a few Neapolitan specialities (probably some stuff you’ve not yet seen – unusual takes on traditional Italian foods, but no gastronomic reinventions of the wheel…).
The wine list is pretty reasonable, nothing too expensive, and mainly Italian. There’s also a limited selection of (mainly Italian) cocktails.
They also open early – food starts at 0930. No way in hell I’d eat this stuff for breakfast, or right back to sleep I would go…
(that said you could just opt for a ‘tradizionale‘ shit strong Italian coffee…)
What we ate
Starter
La Bufala
Fresh buffalo mozzarella flown from Napoli, served with vine tomato bruschettas. Probably the best bufala I have ever had, and I’ll be damned if I know how they managed to make the bruschetta taste quite so flavoursome. Tons of olive oil?
Mains
Carbonara e Nduja
Rigatoni, spicy carbonara with eggs, nduja, pancetta, mascarpone, aged ricotta shavings. The sauce was quite something, but the portion was a bit small for what you get (well, when compared with one of the pizzas). That said, this is probably closer to the portion size you could expect back in Italy (someone call me out if I am wrong…)
Cornucopia
Buffalo ricotta, mozzarella, ham, Neapolitan salami; baby spinach, mozzarella, crispy pancetta; tomato, spicy spianata salami. Legendary. the little ‘tail’ on the end of it is stuffed full of salami and ricotta. A marvelous surprise!
Side
Heritage Tomatoes
Heritage tomatoes salad, olives, capers, spring onion. Probably the most plain of all the dishes here, but a pretty mean salad. Again, rich and gratuitous olive oil flavours…
Desserts
Affogato Al Caffé
Neapolitan Espresso with a scoop of ice cream and whipped cream. Amazing: not too much, not too little…
Capresina
Classic cake from Capri, dark chocolate, almond. Didn’t try this one…
What we drunk
Aglianico Pompeiano
Borbonico – house red. Not so bad, but not so memorable…
Negroni
Beefeater, Martini Rosso, Campari. A ‘typical’ (but typically good) Negroni.
The Verdict:
No mistake, it feels like a chain – but the taste certainly delivers on something.
All in all – pretty damned impressive for a chain restaurant and one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone who ever enjoyed an Italian meal. Like pizza and pasta more than the average bear? Give this a try. Just remember not to eat much before you go ^_^
Here’s a kinda relevant piece of trivia I read a while back: apparently, though the idea of people putting stuff onto flatbreads has existed for thousands of years (‘proto pizzas?’), the first “Pizza Margherita” was made in Naples in June 1889, in honour of the Queen consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy.
It was created by a Neapolitan pizza maker, Raffaele Esposito, who garnished the top with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil – which represented the national colours of Italy. So you can thank Raffaele (and Naples), the next time you go to town on one of those bad boys!
In a nutshell: LEGIT
The Details:
John Lewis Shopping Centre, Wood St, Kingston upon Thames KT1 1TE
020 8546 0073
http://www.rossopomodoro.co.uk/restaurant/kingston-3/
@RossopomodoroUK
020 8546 0073
http://www.rossopomodoro.co.uk/restaurant/kingston-3/
@RossopomodoroUK