Instagram: @pizzapilgrims
I am lucky enough to have gone on a trip to Naples back in September of 2016 with my brother Sam. We went with excitement to try pizza in the city where it was created and perfected. We choose a restaurant not too far from where we were staying on the Piazza Sannazaro called 50 Kalo. The first thing that struck me with the pizza was the dough. A crispy thin layer with a soft, airy, fluffy centre. The wood-fired Neapolitan pizza ovens certainly cook the pizzas for the perfect finish. The taste from the tomato marinara sauce to the mozzarella cheese and the seasoning, was like nothing I had ever experienced up until that point 8 years ago.
Fast-forward 8 years to the present day and I am in Leeds city centre, just a half and hour or so drive on the M62 from my home town of Elland, West Yorkshire, to try Pizza Pilgrims to see what delights founders Thom & James have cooked up off the back of their many pizza pilgrimages, where they have discovered all the culinary delights the sunny bay of Naples has to offer.
Sides & salads: I went firstly with the ‘Artichokes fritti’ fried in a crispy panko crust with a garlic & herb dip. I love artichokes but don’t often see them on menus so it was a must that I tried these and they were superb, nice and succulent with a light crust. The garlic and herb dip the perfect accompaniment. Secondly I had the ‘Cacio E Pepe balls’ crispy spaghetti balls made with Pecorino cheese & black pepper. Anyone who knows me knows I am a big fan of cheese and these certainly put a smile on my face.
Pizza: Now for the all-important pizza. I choose the ‘You’ve got Maile’ pizza. A tomato base with prosciutto cotto, nduja, salsiccia & pepperoni, finished with burrata, red onions & a balsamic glaze. Now read that again and tell me that doesn’t sound absolutely exceptional. I could go on about how flavoursome this pizza was with the array of meat toppings alone, but what really stood out was the burrata (the cheese lover in me I know.) Burrata cheese is mozzarella that is formed into a thin pouch and then filled with a mixture of soft, stringy curd and cream called stracciatella. Now imagine cutting that open onto the pizza. Let’s just say I was more than happy with my choice. Like I mentioned before about the pizza I had in Naples, like that the dough is like nothing else and in my opinion, can only be perfected to get the right texture and also the right flavour in a Neapolitan wood-fired pizza oven, the centre piece taking pride of place in the Pizza Pilgrims kitchen for all to see along with the fresh dough being hand rolled.
Dessert: Tiramisu. Every Italian restaurant I go to no matter how hard I look at the menu I go for my all-time favourite desert Tiramisu nine times out of ten. A desert made of ladyfingers soaked in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone flavoured with cocoa. If there was ever a time on this blog I was to use the phrase “melts in your mouth” this would be it in relation to Tiramisu. Pizza Pilgrims’ addition to the desert is Nutella and what an addition. Quite aptly the desert is also served out of a Nutella jar. Thom & James eye for detail comes up trumps here as I remember too well many a croissant with Nutella being had for breakfast when I was in Naples along with the doughnuts from Chalet Chiro Gelato at Mergellina harbour in the evening covered in the stuff.
And it wouldn’t be the end of a meal without an espresso to finish off proceedings.
Décor: If the love for the Naples at Pizza Pilgrims wasn’t already evident, the décor in the restaurant in Leeds definitely showcases this and is something to be truly admired. The place is adorned with images of Naples, from Vesuvius, SSC Napoli badges and the teams footballers, Maradona among them, to the streets with their washing lines criss-crossing from building to building complete with green shuttered windows transporting you right to southern Italy. Pizza Pilgrims having their own homage to this having washing lines with Napoli and Leeds football shirts hung up on them. The green & white striped canopies and table cloths along with lemon trees in plant pots, all these intricate details gives you a real feel of the Neapolitan riviera.
Co-founders: Watching the Pizza Pilgrims YouTube series ‘Pilgrimage II’ where Thom & James go back to Naples you really get a sense of their love for the food and the attention to detail making sure that the authenticity of Naples and its local cuisine is adhered to for their restaurants back home. From their Pizza creations, the snacks, the drinks, all of it coming from the heart of Naples. Every day staples of Neapolitans going onto their menus back in the UK.
On their trusty pizza Vespa they taste test their creations on the locals themselves with the help of Toto Sorbillo of Sorbillo Pizzeria. Thumbs up all round is a promising sign as any that the pizza hits the spot with the proud locals. I get to episode 6 and I realise I have seen this before from a clip I saw on Instagram last year when SSC Napoli the football team of Naples won the league (the Scudetto) for the first time in 33 years. Thom and James were right in the middle of the celebrations on their pilgrimage. I have to say the celebrations were some of the best I have ever seen. The affinity Neapolitans have with their football club is something to be admired for anyone who is a fan of football.
Personal note: The love I have personally for the city of Naples, the people, the cuisine and the culture made sure SSC Napoli quickly became my second team of the last 14 years along with my Brother who had already been following them. When we were there in 2016, me and my Brother made sure to go to a game at what was then called the Stadio San Paolo, now renamed the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
When you see how passionate and proud not just Neapolitan’s but Italians in general are when it comes to their food, their cuisine, their culture, I don’t have to think long and hard as to why that is, I would be too. There is a reason why my favourite food is Italian food and having a pizza at Pizza Pilgrims in Leeds once again confirms this. I will certainly be a returning customer for a long time to come.
