Leading Italian restaurant group Made in Italy has renovated its original site on Chelsea’s Kings Road, bringing with it a brand new look and feel and an innovative new menu. Peter Morrell takes a look
Celebrating 25 years of trade, Giuseppe, Sara and Angelo Corsaro, the family behind the concept, have returned from several months of travelling around their homeland, sourcing inspiration to better understand what makes pizza lovers tick. The result: staying true to its roots and ensuring the home-made approach is at the forefront of what they do, to deliver only the very best in Italian quality and taste to hungry Londoners.
Launched on 1st February, the restaurant will be part of a new generation of pizza concept sites, with a menu that enables customers to select from different dough bases, each made from specific premium Italian flour.
I went along recently to take a look at the new decor and to try the revamped menu. Arriving on a cold, wet February evening Made in Italy was like a discovering a Rifugio in the Dolomite mountains, warm and cosy with a friendly welcome and the promise of good food to come. The restaurant positively glowed inside with mellow red brickwork, giving the dining space a comforting rustic atmosphere and it was busy which added to the ambiance. We sat in the new mezzanine level which also features a stylish bar offering Italian cocktails and food.
I savoured a Sardinian Ichnusa beer while my wife sipped a prosecco as we looked at the menu which has been given a revolutionary update. Split into categories there are now sharing boards (taglieri) nibbles for the table (sfizi), antipasti, salads, pastas, sides, pizzas and a separate section devoted to Made in Italy’s home-made burrata.
The menu is very on-trend offering choices of 48 hour fermented pizza doughs made with Italian flour – double 00, multi grain and gluten free and a large proportion of the toppings are either vegetarian or vegan. This balance towards meat and fish free eating is reflected across the menu particularly in the antipasti section.
However the jewel in the Made in Italy crown is their home-made cheeses, burrata, ricotta and mozzarella created fresh every day in their factory just across the river in Battersea. These can either be ordered as dishes in their own right or can be part of a pizza or starter.
We were eager to try the cheeses which influenced our decision of which starter to have. Although the antipasti listed delights like aubergine parmigiana, crispy calamari with zucchinia and aioli sauce, and vegetarian rice balls our choice, the mixed sharing plate, offered home-made burrata and ricotta together with Parma ham, pistachio mortadella, salami and marinated olives served with toasted bread.
This proved to be an attractive decision, the meats gave us a delicious range of different taste experiences which worked well with the marinated olives and the cheeses were superb. The ricotta was fresh and uplifting and as we cut through the mozzarella shell of the burrata it revealed its rich, creamy centre. This summed up the essence of Italian food, very high quality ingredients, served simply allowing the underpinning and natural flavours to shine through.
It was time for mains, we had dithered about which pizzas to order as they all looked good. As with the type of dough there is a choice of either dairy or vegan mozzarella toppings. My wife eventually chose the calzone, a folded over pizza and mine was to be the salsiccia e friarielli. The calzone, filled with ricotta cheese, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and roasted ham was plump and full of interest. My pizza had a pillowy crust and was topped with Neapolitan Friarielli and Italian wild fennel sausage. This was very enjoyable and I particularly liked the strong fennel flavour.
From an impressive list we had selected a white, Le Altane Trebbiano as our wine pairing. This had fresh fruity aromas in the bouquet which on the palate were joined by citrus notes, it had well balanced acidity and a bright finish.
We had just left enough room of dessert, not quite enough for tiramisu but to share two scoops of Italian ice cream, chocolate and hazelnut, both were decadently delicious.
This was an excellent dining experience, we were impressed by the very friendly and helpful service, the quality of the food, the homely décor and the fact that so much effort has been put into creating a menu that fits the needs of many people’s dietary requirements.
The Made in Italy Group is over 25 years old and has become a favourite neighbourhood restaurant, with sites located in Notting Hill, Fulham, Wimbledon and Clapham.
Made in Italy
249 Kings Road
London
SW3 5EL
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