Homeslice Pizza

After months of listening to Katie rabbit on about wanting to try Homeslice (her brother, her sister, her kitten, her dog, her budgie etc had recommended it – ok so she doesn’t have a sister or a budgie, and I don’t think her kitten or her dog know anything about pizza, but you get the point), I decided that it was time to give it a go. 

The first couple of things to note about Homeslice are:
it doesn’t take reservations, it’s a fairly small restaurant, and it is very popular.    Combined, these considerations mean that you must get there early, especially if you are a large party.  There were 6 of us on Thursday evening and by the time we arrived (6.30pm) the restaurant was pretty much full up, but we were fortunate to snag the last available table and didn’t have to wait at all.  Success!  (Note: don’t arrive any later than 6.30pm if you’re in a rush and/or starving – there was a waiting list of over an hour!)

Once you have settled down, a waiter or waitress will come and explain how Homeslice works.  The crux of the matter is that they serve 20 inch thin-crust pizzas, and that’s about it.  Now, you can either order by the slice (which would seem sensible if you are part of a small group and/or want to try a variety of flavours), by the pizza, or by the ‘half-pizza’.  As there were 6 of us at dinner, and because we wanted to sample a selection of flavours, we decided that we would go for 4 pizza halves.

My choice was the rather unusual aubergine, cauliflower cheese, harissa and spinach.  Unfortunately, this was not unusual in a good way.  One issue was that the flavours weren’t particularly complementary.  The main problem was, however, that some spicy mixture had been poured in a rather heavy-handed manner over the pizza.  Now, being Malaysian, I don’t have a problem with spice; in fact, I quite enjoy it.  Yet the chilli on this particular pizza was not well mixed in, so you ended up with a mouth on fire at one stage but by the next bite you could not even taste the spice.  Bizarre. 

Aubergine, cauliflower cheese, harissa and spinach; scallop, salsa verde, peanut & watercress

Caprese; courgette & artichoke

Nevertheless, I’m pleased to report that we had more success with our other choices.  The caprese had a light yet very flavoursome tomato base, and the scallop, salsa verde, peanut & watercress mixture was unique (in a positive sense!) though not overwhelming.  My favourite, however, was the courgette and artichoke – it was simple in that thinly sliced pieces of the vegetable were laid generously over a cheesy base, but I think that’s what made it so effective.  I would definitely go back just for that.

All in all, I really enjoyed my Homeslice experience.  The pizzas were tasty on the whole, and the prices pretty good.  I must say that the tables are very close together and it is very loud (I was practically hoarse by the time we left) but this was very much in the spirit of the restaurant and its ethos, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.  It’s a great place to go for a casual and fun night out with friends (rather than on a romantic date, if you see what I mean!)

Homeslice Pizza - 020 7836 4604 - www.homeslicepizza.co.uk

13 Neal's Yard, London WC2H 9DP