Columnists / Meg Houghton-Gilmour
‘There’s too much pizza in Bristol’
Walk into the Bristol Loaf on East Street and you’ll be struck by a sudden change of appearance. Gone are the tennis ball tomatoes that cost more than your coffee and the purple sprouting broccoli stalks of Hugo’s greengrocers. Now in their place is a stonking great pizza oven.
The change doesn’t bode well for Can Can Pizza just a stone’s throw away. Can Can serves excellent pizza to those that know it is there; it’s got much less street presence than the Loaf due to being tucked away down an alley.
When I heard about Bristol Loaf’s plans, I found myself doing a Brenda – “not another one!”. There’s too much pizza in Bristol. You can’t move for pizza places. Soon the whole of Bristol will in fact be one giant pie; passata river flowing through the middle and mozzarella hills left, right and centre.
is needed now More than ever
I love Italy’s greatest export as much as the next person and it’s easy to see why pizza places are so common. The markup on pizza is significant, it’s very quick to cook, everyone likes it and there’s no better food to soak up your sins after a few drinks.
I hope that Can Can Pizza doesn’t suffer too much from the changes at Bristol Loaf
But it’s not original is it? Comforting yes, but rarely is going out for a pizza hugely exciting. Can we not get a little more creative, even within the variety of pizza on offer? Take Pizza is Lovely for example, which serves deep dish Detroit pizza from Renato’s on King Street. What they do is different, new (to Bristol), exciting.
Next I’m hoping that we get a taste of the stuff from Chicago or New Haven. The ultimate would be the pizza fritta from Naples; deep fried calzone-style parcels with an incredibly thin crust and fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil stuffed within. If someone starts serving good pizza fritta in Bristol, they shall have my patronage weekly.
I’ve got a lot of time for the deep dish creations of Pizza is Lovely
Pizza will always have a place in my heart, and Bristol’s best pizzas (Bertha’s, Bosco, Molto Buono and Pizza is Lovely since you asked) will always have a reserved spot in my stomach. But there’s only so much pizza a girl can eat. I’d like to see a little more sense of adventure with our slices or, God forbid, a willingness to explore other options.
This is going to cheese people off, isn’t it? Just put me in the stocks and throw the tomatoes already.
This is an opinion piece by Meg Houghton-Gilmour, Bristol24/7’s Head of Audience
All photos: Meg Houghton-Gilmour
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