A Slice of Pizza Heaven in London's Hoxton Square

Name: Radio Alice

Where: 16 Hoxton Square, London, N1 6NT, http://radioalicepizzeria.co.uk

Cost: Starters range from £3 for olives and almonds, burrata, black pepper and oregano (£5.50), and speck and apricots, or mortadella and pistachio (£6). Pizze are priced from £5.90 to £13. 

Wines are served by the glass, carafe, or bottle, and are from Italy, with the house red and whites both from Sicily, Libera Terra (£19). In Italy, pizza is enjoyed with beer rather than wine, and at Radio Alice there are two beers on tap (Kernel, Table Beer at £3.90 per pint, and London Beer Factory, Beyond the Pale at £4 per pint), as well as a few options in bottle or can. The cocktail menu is short but excellent value, including a Negroni at just £7. 

About: Radio Alice might seem an odd name for a pizzeria, but it derives from a pirate radio station that broadcast in the 1970s in Bologna, where brothers and owners Matteo and Salvatore Aloe were born. The brothers already have five pizzeria in Italy, and this London branch, opened in December 2016, is the result of a collaboration with Emma King, co-founder of Gail's Bakery. 

The pizzeria aims to use seasonal, organic and slow food producers from Italy and the UK, so the menu varies each month - think capers from Salina, tomatoes from Brindisi, and fiordilatte from Puglia.

Only ingredients that are improved by cooking are placed in the oven with the base - the base is cut into 8 after cooking, and the toppings are added after cooking, so that they do not overcook and retain their texture and freshness. 

The dough is made from Tipo 1 stoneground flour with wild rather than commercial yeast, and fermented for 24 hours. This long proofing makes for a light and easy to digest dough. They also make limited batches of pizze from guest grains, like spelt or durum wheat.

The restaurant has been beautifully renovated, with large windows, high ceilings, wood parquet flooring and white marble work tops. One of the brothers trained as an architect, which might explain the clean and stylish design.

What We Ate: The test of a Neapolitan-style pizzeria has got to be its Margherita pizza. The simplest on the menu but the hardest to get right, this pizza is all about the ingredients and the skills of chef. Radio Alice's version had the classic combination of fiordilatte, tomato and basil (£7), set over an airy, well-textured base.   

From the Pizze Bianche menu, we chose the Proscuitto di Parma, burrata, with orange-infused oil and fiordilatte (£13). The combination of burrata and orange may seem strange, but it is a classic in Campania, where these are two of their top products. Both the Parma ham and the burrata were added after the pizza was cooked, which  brought out the freshness and flavour of the ingredients, and gave the pizza another layer of texture.   

Next up was another Pizza Biancha, but this time with wilted cavolo nero (Italian black cabbage), provolone cheese and French mustard (£9.50).  I loved all the pizze at Radio Alice, but this was my favourite - I admired the ingenuity of the chefs in putting these ingredients together, they are not what I expect on a pizza but the combination worked brilliantly.

We were rather sated by this stage, but we had to try the desserts. Another classic Italian dish I was pleased to see on the menu was the chocolate gelato with liquorice brioche (£5.50). A lovely buttery brioche and chocolate ice cream sandwich, this was light and refreshing. 

Equally good was the Bourbon vanilla gelato, with anise biscuit (£5.50), another light and refreshing dessert with crisp and aromatic biscuits. 

What We Drank: For pizza cognoscenti, forgive me but we did not opt for beer on this occasion. Rather, we shared a bottle of Olmo, a blend of Sangiovesi and Montepulciano  from Marche (£30). This was very good, with sweet cherry flavours, and a good weight of berry fruit to balance the acidity of Sangiovesi.

Likes: Well-made, 24 hour proved pizza dough, creative and seasonal toppings, very reasonable prices in a beautifully designed venue. It's really refreshing to see a pizzeria offering proper beer as opposed to watery (dare I say Peroni?) lager. Super-knowlegeable and friendly staff, a rarity in achingly trendy Hoxton. There is so much to like about Radio Alice.

Dislikes: None

Verdict: Radio Alice has a refreshing approach to proper pizza in London. You don't need to go all the way to Naples for your slice of pizza heaven - Hoxton Square is much closer! I loved it. Very highly recommended. 

Thai Cocktails and Nosh in Über-Trendy Hoxton

Name: Busaba Eathai

Where: 319 Old Street, London EC1V 9LE, http://www.busaba.com

Cost: Dishes are for sharing, and vary in cost from £3.90 to £12.50.  The average food spend is around £20-£30 per head.

About: Situated on a busy corner of Old Street in the heart of Hoxton, this is one of 10 restaurants in the group opened by restaurateur Alan Yau around 15 years ago. I used to love visiting their first branch in Wardour Street when it opened in the late 90s, it was one of the most innovative and forward-thinking London restaurants at the time.

There are plans to expand the Busaba Eathai group to 20 restaurants over the next year, including new branches in Manchester, Leeds, Cambridge and possibly Scotland, among others.

With Thai Executive Head Chef Jude Sangsida overseeing the whole group, there is a reasonable degree of consistency of cooking across different branches. The restaurant aims to serve popular Thai dishes for the UK market and palate. Like the other restaurants in the group, all the dining tables in Old Street are shared, with benches rather than chairs, making for a relaxed, informal experience.  There is a separate bar area with high stools and tables for those who just want to enjoy a cocktail or share a bottle of wine.

What We Ate: Like in Thailand, the dishes were served all at once at Busaba Eathai. Rather than starters and main courses, the dishes are divided into salad, soup noodle, wok noodle, stir-fry, grilled curry, rice and side dishes, which together make up a Thai meal. The flavours and textures of these different dishes, complement each other – a refreshing salad is ideal to go alongside a more fiery curry, while rice and vegetable sides should be eaten with the remaining dishes.

We started with a well made and deliciously tender Thai calamari served with ginger and peppercorns (£6.50).

Som Tam salad is one of the national dishes of Thailand and can be found both on the streets as in restaurants and homes across the country – made from green papaya, dried shrimps, cherry tomato and peanut (£6.90), Busaba’s som tam was authentic with some very fresh Thai flavours.

For noodles, we opted for a very flavoursome Pad Kwetio served with Sen Yai noodles, smoked chicken, prawn and shiitake mushroom (£8.60). This was delicious and one of the highlights of our meal.

I loved the rich aniseed aromas and flavours from the sweet basil and chilli and the chunky but tender prawns in the Chilli Prawn Stir-fry (£8.90).

The Red Beef Curry (£10.50) had perfectly tender slivers of beef, both Thai and pea aubergines, as well as kaffir lime leaf and chilli all in an intensely flavoured curry sauce – excellent.

To accompany our dishes, we shared a portion of coconut rice (£3.30), and a lovely vegetable dish of morning glory, with yellow bean sauce, Thai garlic and chilli (£5.90).

What we Drank: Wines range from £19.50 to £24.50, and all are available either by the 175ml glass, or in 500ml flasks, or as a full bottle. There are just 3 white and 3 red options, along with one rosé and 5 beers.  For sparkling wines, there is the Prosecco di Valdobbiadene at £29.50, or a Lallier 1er Cru Rose Champagne at £52.50.

Besides wine and beer, there is a choice of mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails) priced from £2.70 to £3.30, while cocktails at the Old Street branch are priced at £7.50. There are plans to make these cocktails available across the whole group by the end of 2014.

We sampled 4 cocktails with our meal.  The Nam Thang Mo (rum blended with watermelon, kaffir lime, guava and chilli) was delicious and very tropical. Personally though I preferred the Lao Kong, made from green tea infused with whisky, with pineapple, honey and cinnamon syrup. Unsurprisingly, I’m a sucker for anything that features green tea.

The Citrus Negroni was sensational - made from the usual trio of gin, Martini and Campari, it was spiced up with a slug of tamarind syrup, and served over a whopping sphere of solid ice the size of an orange. It had a real kick and was as strong as I expected it to be.

Last but far from least, and actually in my opinion the best of all, the Thai Martini was made from gin infused with lemongrass, Thai basil and birdseye chilli tincture. This was a magnificent, fragrant and stimulating cocktail, and I can’t wait to try it again.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the cocktails we tried – they were well made and cleverly thought out and at £7.50 are also excellent value at trendy Shoreditch/Hoxton areas.

Likes: The superb cocktail menu at this Old Street branch is a big draw. The food is both reasonably authentic and affordable, and the restaurant is in a very happening part of Hoxton. Service is fast and friendly, and the wine selection is small but good value and well chosen.

Dislikes: Shared tables work in a supper club setting but I am not sure they do at a restaurant. I don’t mind sharing, but it can be awkward if others do!

Verdict: Busaba Eathai in Old Street is a great place for some cocktails with an Asian twist in über-trendy Hoxton, and a fix of fast Thai food in a relaxed, friendly setting. Recommended.

London Restaurant Reviews - Beagle

Working like a dog? Come to Hoxton to rest and play

Words & Photography by Simeen Kadi

Name: Beagle

Where: 397 - 400 Geffrye Street, London, E2 8HZ  http://www.beaglelondon.co.uk

Cost: Average £6 for starters and £16 for mains. Cocktails from £8.

About: Beagle is in the railway arches right next to Hoxton station. Sitting on the large terrace, the view of the back of the Geffrye Museum is almost bucolic. And, on a rare sunny day in London, there are few better places to while away an afternoon.

What we drank: The Bloody Mary here is made with vodka infused with chorizo which gives the drink a deep, smoky flavour. Their signature martini is also excellent with coriander bitters and caraway balancing out the sweetness of the vermouth.

When you are on your second martini and the sun has decided to come out, on the terrace is exactly where you want to be for some stylish people-watching and languid weekend lounging. I have now been here a few times and sat both inside and outside. The huge glazed arches mean light-flooded interiors while the terrace is sheltered and quiet, facing only a pedestrianised street.

What we ate: Starters such as Octopus with Tomatoes come wood-fired and anointed with a fresh and bright coriander sauce. Beetroot, Bitter Leaves and Bantam Egg makes use of the freshest ingredients, brought together by a zippy vinaigrette.

The Crab, Samphire and Cucumber Salad was as cool and crisp as it read on the menu.
Mains were very British in their provenance and cooking style. Tamworth Pork Chop came with lentils and a deep, meaty gravy.

Onglet was cooked as rare as it should be and came with fat chips cooked (two, three times? Who knows?) in duck fat. I would have preferred skinny, French-style fries, but I may be in a minority on this.
The wood-fired treatment of food is something of a speciality here; Beagle's location under a railway line means no gas is permitted. And so, a necessity becomes a virtue as dishes come tinged with a hint of wood-flame as the kitchen relies on wood burning stoves.

We have not tried the desserts but we have watched others nod and smile agreeably at the variety of puddings proffered. The kitchen will also bake a cake for your birthday celebrations and I watched a large party singing along heartily around a birthday cake - at least until the birthday girl accidentally set fire to her hair while blowing out the candles. But, the sun was out and the setting was so convivial that no one seemed to mind.

Likes: Great food, relaxed atmosphere and truly helpful staff. The cocktails keep flowing on the terrace and the music is exceptionally good.

Dislikes: In fact, there is very little not to like about Beagle. So, I will have a mini-gripe about these teeny-tiny annoyances. The bar snacks are well made but vary greatly in size. The pork pie was a good hunk of meat wrapped in a thick wedge of pastry alongside homemade piccalilli. The pig's head croquettes, however, were superb but infuriatingly small - I could have eaten 3 portions on my own. Another mystery is why food from the restaurant cannot be ordered in the bar area - we were given some excuse about licencing laws which sounded highly implausible.

Verdict: Beagle is bound to become the go-to destination of the summer (now that things are looking promising weather-wise). It is already in my top 10 for casual alfresco drinking and dining.