Closest station – Holloway Road and Highbury and Islington

Standout dish – anything with the turmeric base!

Website – https://www.lameziaitalianrestaurant.com/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lamezia_islington/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/lameziarestaurant

Twitter – https://twitter.com/lameziaI

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to check out an Italian restaurant. Lamezia which is based in Islington is “celebrating 10 years of authentic pizza & fresh pasta, sourdough, hemp & turmeric bases. New look restaurant with the same warm family welcome.”

I took along my friend Dee who for a while has been thinking of setting up her own food place so meeting owner Maria was a huge inspiration for her. Mother of 2, Maria has a passion for good quality Italian cooking and is so proud of her Italian heritage which is demonstrated in the dishes. Meeting Maria really got Dee thinking as to what her next steps would be in her career. Does she focus on a new project manager job or does she take a new path and become and entrepreneur? You never know, one day I may be doing a write up on her place!

Shortlisted for the British restaurant awards, Lamezia is cute and quirky, rustic and authentic. It is decorated in a traditional Italian manor with wooden décor. It was super homely and cosy.

 

The music was chilled but authentic background Italian music but didn’t take away from the fact that you can have a decent conversation with the person there with you. I was really interested in visiting Lamezia because as a pizza lover, they have started experimenting with their bases and have recently introduced sourdough, wheat & hemp, turmeric bases. As an Indian who knows about the benefits of turmeric, that’s the one I was really wanting to taste! They also have yummy vegan options on the menu!

The wine

Maria knows her wine and what dish to pair it with. We started with the Rapitala – Nero D’Avola. This smooth, juicy, slightly spicy and cherry and plum flavoured wine is the perfect pairing with any Italian dish.

Moving on to the food

Bruschetta

We started with the bruschetta. They are two heavenly and refreshing slices of oven baked bread topped with flavoursome chopped tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and extra virgin olive oil served on a bed of rocket. If you’re looking for a light starter, this is a great one to share. The bread is such great quality that the tomatoes don’t make the tomatoes soggy which I have found in some places!

Pizza

I opted for the La Bella.

It has no tomato, mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, fresh spinach and garlic oil. I, obviously, opted for the turmeric base. Now you might be wondering what it tastes like. Well, it has a really subtle taste and is not over-powering at all. You can taste a little of the earthy-ness and it gives the base a slightly yellow glow but it tastes sooo good! The fresh vegetable ingredients complimented the base and it can be made vegan without the mozzarella (which I opted for as someone that’s a little lactose intolerant). The base was crispy but soft and incredibly moreish. I polished the whole thing off very quickly!

Pasta

Alongside the pizza we had the Ravioli ai Gamberi which is a homemade ravioli which enveloped the prawns and chilli. It was a lovely and light dish which was delicately flavoured and has a pretty pink colour. It wasn’t overpowering with the chilli.

Rustica salad

On the side we had the rustica salad. It is made with grilled courgettes, artichokes, peppers, sundried tomatoes, rocket – a lovely, fresh and light accompaniment to our pizza and ravioli.

Tiramisu

And of course, an Italian meal isn’t complete without mamma’s tiramisu which we ended with alongside a chocolate and lemon shot. Homemade by Maria’s mother, this generous portion of Italian deliciousness was the sweetest ending to our fab meal.

Lamezia is the perfect little place for date night, a family dinner or a catch up with friends. Thank you Maria for the wonderful evening and I hope to see Lamezia go from strength to strength. I’ll 100% be back soon!

Priya Mulji