Take-away margherita pizzas
The Italian Kitchen
64 Ingram Street, Glasgow, 0141 572 1472, www.italian-kitchen.co.uk Takeaway only. Pizza Margherita £6.95
Pizza iS a simple thing. so getting the baSlCS right is important. This one has a nicely chewy but crusty thin base with some charcoal notes thanks to the stone oven it was cooked in. The tomato. cheese and basil weren't plentiful but they were decent quality and the tomato sugo was herby. O...
La Favorita
325-331 Leith Walk, Edinburgh, 0131 554 2430, www.la-favorita.com Delivery available. Margherita £7
AM the hallmarks of a true Neapolitan pizza. This features the thinnest of chewy bases. cooked fast and hot in a proper wood-tired Oven. With minimal ingredients on top. but somehow they prove just the right amount. With a smokey taste of tomato. cheese and basil in each bite. You can instantly tell the ingredients are good quality. 000..
Domino’s
Various outlets, www.dominos.co.uk Delivery available. Original Cheese and Tomato £6.99
A uniformly round pizza with a thin coating of grated cheese on top rather than chunky slices of better quality mozzarella. The base is a bit more bread-like here and the tomato sauce surprisingly strong in flavour. However. all in all it is a pleasant pizza. nicely balanced in ingredients. taste and texture. O...
Papa John’s
Various locations, www.papajohns.co.uk Delivery available. Cheese & Tomato £6.99 As you might expect of a chain, this one feels as if it has been robustly engineered rather than created with any flair. Satisfying enough, it‘s more American in style: a crispy rather than chewy base and a bit too heavy on the cheese. with sweet tomato sauce. Again. cries out for extra toppings: not a good sign. 0..
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Di Maggio’s
Various outlets in and around Glasgow, 0800 0407800, www.dimaggios.co.uk Delivery available. Margherita £5.45
This one looks promising enough, but turns out to be fairly underwhelming. There’s a slight staleness to the base and the cheese on top is springy and flavourless. A bit light on tomato too. It seems to be crying out for extra toppings but a good margherita should stand up on its own. 0.
Mamma’s
30 Grassmarket & 139 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh, 0131 229 7008, www.mammas.co.uk Delivery available. Cheese & Tomato £4.15 Mid-way between an ltalian and an American pizza in style. this is left a bit in no-man's land, lacking a real sense of conviction. The base was just a bit too regular (uniformity doesn't become a pizza). and while there was a nice natural flavour to the tomato sauce the cheese was a bit too plasticky. .0
Wendy Barrie
Director of www.5cottishfoodquide.com
Breakfast is always the most important meal of the day. If unhurried (rarely). and in the right setting it is also my favourite meal of the day. In fact, Brodies breakfast tea is my favourite non-alcoholic drink.
The most impOrtant ingredient for a great dinner is without doubt the guests. When it comes to the food, the one thing in my fridge I couldn't live without is a good selection of Scottish cheeses. For me it's like having a culinary Swiss army knife to hand for all eventualities. I don’t have a signature dish as such, but our First Minister did ask me for my recipe for Cullen Skink.
In between meals there's nothing I like better to snack on than Scottish tomatoes. and the one type of food I would avoid at all costs is things like
nuggets and twizzlers.
What do I particularly look for in a great eating out experience? The provenance of foods and a friendly smile. (Interview by Allan Radcliffe) I Wendy Barrie has put together the programme of demos and advice by over 700 Scottish companies for the Scottish Food 8. Drink Theatre at this year's ROya/ High/and Show, Ing/eston, Edinburgh, Thu 79—Sun 22 Jun.
News to nibble on
3 I'll! ROYAL HIGHLAND snow at Ingliston opens on Thursday 19 June for its annual four-day celebration of food, farming and the countryside. The Food Hall ranks as one of the largest gatherings of Scottish food and drink in the calendar with over 100 exhibitors and a large demonstration theatre. There’s a special focus this year on food and drink from Strathclyde. Adult entry for the entire show is £20 on the gate. www.myalhighlandshow.org
IOU HILL established established on Church Street just off Dumbarton Road in Glasgow's West End. Balbir’s already has a second branch out in Symington in Ayrshire. and has announced plans to open another outlet at 573 Sauchiehall Street. This site, just to the west of Charing Cross where the old Karisma restaurant traded, will host Tiffens@BaIbii"s.
5 I’ll! STOCKBIIDOI RESTAURANT in Edinburgh has teamed up with Nell Nelson (pictured above), known for her TV appearances on The Woman Who Ate Scotland and also a qualified nutritionist and regular List Eating & Drinking Guide contributor, to produce a special menu aimed at those concerned about sticking to a diet when eating out. Described as a ‘Guilt- free Gourmet Menu’, it’s trying to prove that healthier meals can still be expertly cooked to restaurant standard. Two courses cost £18.95 and the menu is available all summer on Tuesday to Friday evenings. Book on 0131 226 6766.
19 Jun—3 Jul 2008 THE LIST 13