Khoollect visits Radio Alice on Hoxton Square

Six years since opening their first pizzeria, Berberè, brothers Salvatore and Matteo Aloe have joined forces with co-founder of Gail’s Bakery, Emma King to welcome guests for the first time to their new restaurant, Radio Alice.

Tucked in the north-west corner of Hoxton square, Radio Alice’s opening week sounded like something we could not miss. So on a cool London evening, we traipsed across the city to tuck in to its new menu and discover a strangely unique cooking process.

The restaurant takes its name from a 1970’s radio station touted as the ‘soundtrack of Bologna’s counterculture’ and ‘deeply rooted in the rebellious,’ according to Salvatore. And it certainly lives up to the reputation with its cool decor, wonderfully jarring layout and all round ‘we’re gonna do it our way’ attitude. This is an elegant take on cut ‘n’ paste, ripped jacket punk-rock for pizza lovers… and we’re loving it.

Luckily for us, we had the best seats in the house: sitting right in front of the open kitchen watching the magic happen. First, we saw our bases being shaped and baked, and, only once cooked, were our toppings precisely placed on top.

All toppings are from traditional and organic slow food producers from both Britain and Italy. We shared two pizzas: the gorgonzola, speck, honey, fiordilatte and walnuts (above, left), and the anchovies, red onion, lemon zest, tomato and oregano. Both on a delicious bed of dough that was crispy on the outside, soft in the middle.

For dessert, we went for the cucumber sorbet which was deliciously light and a great way to finish the meal. And, we also sampled the bourbon vanilla gelato, with anise biscuit, which was even better!

If you’re on the hunt for good pizza in the city, Radio Alice is a definite must-visit. Will be returning soon…

What’s your favourite pizzeria in your hometown? Let us know in the comments below…