Francos/Ecos????

[story]

thehunger: Heaters outdoors....?? So you're going the "green/organic" route, and then heating the outdoors with carbon burning heaters.... hmmmm.... I was never put off by the outdoors aspect. (In fact I often preferred to eat outside - even when it was cold - rather than endure the sounds of fucking Depeche Mode inside, which seemed to be the abiding passion of the weekday staff. Note: Depeche Mode on loop is not good eating music.)


I ate there on Saturday, with a friend from Marseilles, who claims that the Marseilles pizza is the best on earth. He liked the Franco Manca pizza.

We had the wild mushroom and garlic option. Menu is very small, but that's not a bad thing cos you have the option to add toppings.

I found it very sloppy and very cheesy (almost like a cheese soup), but also tasty. I think I'd ask for less cheese next time.

I liked the sourdough crust, but I still left a lot of the edges (pizza bones), despite being told by a note on the menu not to do so.

We ate at lunchtime, and I wasn't hungry again until the following morning. Bargain!

 

[thehunger]

HEATERS OUTDOORS . . .

Apart from the obvious option of no heating, these heaters are the 'greenest' option available (and a new health and safety law requiring them is soon to be introduced). They should not be confused with the gas patio heaters, which may soon be banned, for the following reasons:

An average gas patio heater (13kW) emits approx, *3,300 KG CO2 per year
An equivalent (2kW) IR heater uses approx *500 KG CO2 per year

Electric Patio Heaters have only 15% of the CO2 footprint of Gas Patio Heaters

For more facts about heat outdoors, see

http://www.heat-outdoors.co.uk/shop/useful-articles/greener-outdoor-heating.html

Bear in mind that the wood burning oven has zero carbon emissions; our interior lamps are low wattage; the beer and mozarella are locally sourced; instead of selling mineral water in bottles we installed a water filter, etc.

Cheers,
X

P.S. Any feedback going on our homemade lemonade recipe? Seems so far the kids aren't missing the Coke...

 

[madolesance]

Have eaten here twice this week, fantastic!
Who needs a big choice when the food is great.
Brilliant taste's all round.

 

[OpalFruit]

What are the opening hours / hours when pizza is available?

 

[trabuquera]

Ate there on Saturday - a blessed relief the place is still open.
The new sourdough crusts are v nice (especially when crispy and blackened) but overall the pizzas are a bit doughier and slightly less tasty than before - you can taste the delicious organic tomatoeyness, but it's a bit skimpy on the garlic& seasonings kick.

Also: it is HUGE problem for me that you can now only drink wine, water, lemonade or espresso ... no more cappuccinos ... well I could just about understand that (it's sacrilege for Italians after all) - but not even a splash of organic milk in a coffee available?

still - a brave experiment - I hope it works out well for them - and still in a different league from mass-market or supermarket pizzas

 

[OpalFruit]

I went - very very impressed. Excellent value, friendly but non-bland service (if you know what I mean). I didn't notice the lack of cappuccino - that could cut down my tendency to use it for meetings - but you can get organic beer for £1-90.

Actually it was shit - stay away, go to Pizza Hut - anything to stop it being too popular to get into.

 

[Sunray]

I went - very very impressed. Excellent value, friendly but non-bland service (if you know what I mean). I didn't notice the lack of cappuccino - that could cut down my tendency to use it for meetings - but you can get organic beer for £1-90.

Actually it was shit - stay away, go to Pizza Hut - anything to stop it being too popular to get into.

It just got 4 stars and a massive write up in the Time Out this week.

That might pack it out for a week or two.

 

[RaverDrew]

Awesome unique pizzas. Awesome prices.

Run by really friendly people.

Extremely child friendly.

Excellent and shockingly cheap organic wine and beer.

I just really hope that they could open up a bigger branch that stays open til late, for non early-birds like myself.

 

[christonabike]

Now I know what to expect, I think I shall enjoy it more the next time I visit

I agree with this:

"you can taste the delicious organic tomatoeyness, but it's a bit skimpy on the garlic& seasonings kick"

Some were calling the bald chap Franco, and some were calling him Roberto, can someone clear this up, please?

I remember Roberto from Eco/Alba, and I think he went to Morocco after rediscovering his Muslim hardcoreness after a stint of no beer at his gaff

Could be a million miles wrong, though, we were always fookin' munted

 

[story]

HEATERS OUTDOORS . . .

Apart from the obvious option of no heating, these heaters are the 'greenest' option available (and a new health and safety law requiring them is soon to be introduced). They should not be confused with the gas patio heaters, which may soon be banned, for the following reasons:

An average gas patio heater (13kW) emits approx, *3,300 KG CO2 per year
An equivalent (2kW) IR heater uses approx *500 KG CO2 per year

Electric Patio Heaters have only 15% of the CO2 footprint of Gas Patio Heaters

For more facts about heat outdoors, see

http://www.heat-outdoors.co.uk/shop/useful-articles/greener-outdoor-heating.html

Bear in mind that the wood burning oven has zero carbon emissions; our interior lamps are low wattage; the beer and mozarella are locally sourced; instead of selling mineral water in bottles we installed a water filter, etc.

Cheers,
X

P.S. Any feedback going on our homemade lemonade recipe? Seems so far the kids aren't missing the Coke...

I like the lemonade, but my palate would prefer a higher lemon-to-sugar ratio. I'd certainly have it again though.

Re: the heaters. I take the points you outline thehunger. But is it okay to use more fuel here if we skimp somewhere else? We still end up over-using carbon-based fuels.

I ate at Franco Manca again this week and it just seems so odd to me that these heaters are blasting out all this hot air that is rising up into the ceiling space. The air above must be wonderfully warm. I can see that they have to be set above the windows, but it does seem a long way above the area that "needs" to be heated.


Oh - and why the picture of Thatcher, please?

 

[teuchter]

Heaters:

In Stockholm many bars hand out blankets for people sitting outside.

Story - as I understand it, if they are IR heaters they aren't blasting out hot air; they heat what ever they are pointed at, by radiated rather than convected heat. Nonetheless, any attempt to heat outdoor spaces is going to be rather inefficient.

 

[christonabike]

I thought the table was heated when I sat down to eat

It confused me, until I looked up

 

[Netski]

Franco Manca Pizza

This is by far the best pizza i have ever eaten!! (outside of Italy anyway)
sampled the naturalle tommatto, mozzerella and oregano pizza today and it melted in my mouth, sooo juicy and lovely. super quick and what a reasonable price. I live around the corner so im so happy to discover such a fantastic authentic pizza place on my doorstep, and can take the pizzas away too which is usefull. my only concern is the opening times- such a shame they are in the covered market as this shuts early every day - and im sure they would have got loads of evening business. never mind, i will surely be eating there everyday on ym day off work!!! xxx excellent stuff

 

[epaul07]

Pizzas are great there... Plus the lemonade is fantastic... I'd sit out in the cold for them!

 

[goldengraham]

I haven't visited yet, but Franco Manca was reviewed very warmly in Time Out a week or so ago

www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/reviews/12537.html

 

[innit]

I had lunch there today - it was busy and we had a short wait for a table but it was well worth it.

The sourdough base was extremely tasty as was the lemonade, and we had a fresh, crisp side salad too. I had the chorizo pizza which was incredible but also very rich and I will be having a non-meat option next time (although saying this, the calzone also looked very tempting).

It looks as though they also have the unit opposite and a dumb-waiter lift has been installed - does anyone know what this will be for - more seating??

 

[thehunger]

Cooking

THE STORY continues . . .

We've been busy thanks to a great review in Time Out, and we've just had another in Metro today.

Thankfully the somewhat contentious heaters are becoming less necessary. We are as happy about that as anyone else.

We understand also the frequently mentioned concerns regarding our opening hours. Many people who would like to come and sample our pizza are obliged to come on a Saturday, which makes it terribly busy. The market manager was asked to consider later opening hours for the market before we opened, and promised to oblige. It is a question of time, as he will have to set it up. Many other shops are interested in this in the Market Row. Hopefully by the time summer is in full swing, we will be too!

HOWEVER WE HAVE SUCCEEDED IN GETTING THE MARKET TO OPEN ALL DAY WEDNESDAYS NOW.

Since somebody asked, I can confirm we will be opening the opposite shop. This is to be a BAKERY (yes, we are hiding another wood burning oven in there) with additional seating for pizzas. The lift you mentioned is to haul flour upstairs, where the dough will be prepared. The bakery plans are going well and we have attracted a very interesting master craft baker with a brilliant rep and record, who lives locally.

I think, without running too much of a risk of letting the cat out of the bag, I can offer up a free pizza meal to the first person to guess who he is.

There are several great people bringing ideas through us into the market now, including local grocer Adam Watt, who is opening a shop to sell, amongst other things, the organic wines we import from the co-op in Italy and the organic olive oil we get from a small finca in Spain. Like the pizzeria, the ethos to maintain revolves around supplying locals with the the highest quality at the most competitive prices we can manage.

This was one of the main reasons we wished to try this experiment locally (all three partners, including myself live in Brixton). Let's hope the market grows from strength to strength.

Watch this space, as they say...


The Hunger

 

[clandestino]

Good luck to you! Think I might go and sample your wares tomorrow lunchtime.

 

[clandestino]

Went for lunch with the ed today and was very impressed. My pizza was delicious - gorgeous dough, really tasty tomato base, just all round lovely stuff. Not too sure about the organic lemonade, but worth a try.

My only reservation, which I mentioned to the friendly owner who stopped to chat to us, is that there aren't many vegetables on the menu. So I had a mushroom pizza, being a veggie, but there wasn't much option to have anything else. It was lovely, but there's only so many mushroom pizzas you can eat. I'd go back more often if there was more choice.

Still, that's a minor point and something I'm sure they'll address in time. An excellent start and I'd recommend it highly.

 

[Ms T]

THE STORY continues . . .

We've been busy thanks to a great review in Time Out, and we've just had another in Metro today.

Thankfully the somewhat contentious heaters are becoming less necessary. We are as happy about that as anyone else.

We understand also the frequently mentioned concerns regarding our opening hours. Many people who would like to come and sample our pizza are obliged to come on a Saturday, which makes it terribly busy. The market manager was asked to consider later opening hours for the market before we opened, and promised to oblige. It is a question of time, as he will have to set it up. Many other shops are interested in this in the Market Row. Hopefully by the time summer is in full swing, we will be too!

HOWEVER WE HAVE SUCCEEDED IN GETTING THE MARKET TO OPEN ALL DAY WEDNESDAYS NOW.

Since somebody asked, I can confirm we will be opening the opposite shop. This is to be a BAKERY (yes, we are hiding another wood burning oven in there) with additional seating for pizzas. The lift you mentioned is to haul flour upstairs, where the dough will be prepared. The bakery plans are going well and we have attracted a very interesting master craft baker with a brilliant rep and record, who lives locally.

I think, without running too much of a risk of letting the cat out of the bag, I can offer up a free pizza meal to the first person to guess who he is.

There are several great people bringing ideas through us into the market now, including local grocer Adam Watt, who is opening a shop to sell, amongst other things, the organic wines we import from the co-op in Italy and the organic olive oil we get from a small finca in Spain. Like the pizzeria, the ethos to maintain revolves around supplying locals with the the highest quality at the most competitive prices we can manage.

This was one of the main reasons we wished to try this experiment locally (all three partners, including myself live in Brixton). Let's hope the market grows from strength to strength.

Watch this space, as they say...


The Hunger

Hi there.

Thought you might be interested in this constructive criticism from someone on a foodie board I frequent (Chowhound).

Tried the margherita at Franco Manca at lunchtime today. Good rather than exquisite we thought. Felt that the pizza could have done with a couple more minutes in the wood fired oven, it certainly didn't reach us piping hot which is essential as the first few bites of fresh-out-of-the-oven pizza are where it's all at IMO. You could tell that all the ingredients were good quality although I felt that the mozzarella was lacking that extra bit of "stringiness" which would elevate it to the next level. Plus dried herbs sprinkled on the pizza rather than fresh chopped basil, that's a trick missed I feel. Cheap and cheerful wine, as expected when you're paying £1.25 a glass, £6 a bottle. Pizza was £4.60, side salad £1.50, Monmouth "organic" espresso £1 a shot. Meal for 2 came to £9.60 no service.

 

[fjydj]

What are the opening hours / hours when pizza is available?

from time out: Open Mon-Tue 12noon-4pm; Thur-Sat 12noon-4pm

are these still correct? I was intending to go today but from the look of that it's closed wednesday.

 

[innit]

I'm fairly sure I went last Wednesday.... yes I did.

ETA although it might be better to ring them and check than to trust my memory.

 

[Winot]

Just been this (Wednesday) lunchtime. It's very good as reported. Tried the chorizo and ricotta pizza today (two kinds of meat) and the beer. Pizza excellent; beer a bit disappointing (a cold filtered lager, albeit organic and from Sussex). I'd stick with the homemade lemonade, which I thought was the best I've ever had when I tried it on my first visit but which seemed a bit sweeter today. The espresso is knockout. Salad also good. Service a bit Brixton (chaotic but friendly).

 

[fjydj]

thanks innit and Winot for confirming it was open today, I made it in time for a number 5

has anyone tried the second pizza I think on the menu, it said no tomato so is it basically like cheese on toast and is it nice?

and I added a review to the time out site saying that they are open wednesdays too, although it probably won't show up as its a moderated site by the look of it

 

[mccliche]

got a half day tomorrow due to a late night tonight...gonna try n make it their for lunch b4 i have to turn up at work to check the internet & slouch at my desk for a few hours

 

[Winot]

has anyone tried the second pizza I think on the menu, it said no tomato so is it basically like cheese on toast and is it nice?

Yes - not good. The weakest of the four we've tried.

 

[mccliche]

finally tried one this lunchtime

had the number 5 chorizo and buffalo ricotta i think

exceeded my expectations, for that price i doubt i could get a better pizza...proper nice lumps of cheese n meat, yes yes, finished it in no time lemonade was good too

def will be back

 

[critical1]

Tried it, will be back for more... Good food and wine are hard to find.

The Hungryone.

 

[Gramsci]

THE STORY continues . . .

Since somebody asked, I can confirm we will be opening the opposite shop. This is to be a BAKERY (yes, we are hiding another wood burning oven in there) with additional seating for pizzas.

The Hunger

Was in the market and saw the builders with what looked like a wood burning oven.Does look good.Still havent tried pizzas as im not around much during the day except weekends.

 

[thehunger]

SPECIAL UPDATE from The Hunger

This seems a good place to announce that we have adjusted our menu, which now includes the classic 'Napolitana' pizza - with olives, capers and anchovies. Our specials are in full swing too, the most recent being the (best) proscuitto and rocket pizza - which proved an enormous favourite.

Sadly for some, the calzone is off the menu, as it takes longer to cook and needs to be placed in the front of the oven, making it hard for the pizzaiolo to work pizzas at the rear. Perhaps we will bring it back on quieter days as a special. We also have an open version of it instead of the less popular 'number 2', made with a particular organic soft pork which becomes saucy when cooked, and ricotta. Delicious. The ricotta works better without the tomatoes, we find, and complements the meat well.

The chef recently sourced some excellent organic cheeses form Sardinia and put an all cheese extravaganza out as a special (with goats cheese) which was well-received. The big challenge will be the fresh clam pizza, for those who like seafood... we'll put them on the pizza whole, and they'll open and cook in the searing heat. Chef Marzio wants to add fresh sea urchins to finish it off - but I had to remind him this is Franco Manca, not the Dorchester. We won't be cheap and cheerful for long if we splurge on highly expensive add-ons. The point is, he has your best interests at heart and much faith in the refined tastebuds of Brixton's pizza afficionados.

The 'other side' - the shop opposite FM's - is nearly ready! I think we should do a 'soft launch' just for locals, as we did before. We will be baking bread in the second oven and start testing other freshly baked take-away creations in time too.

To celebrate this I plan to introduce another homemade drink, for those whose tastes lean toward the non-alcoholic sparkling drink variety...

GINGERBEER!

I am making experiments now to refine my Colonial Granny's rather strange recipe. She used an ingredient I am obliged to revise which could kill you in too great a quantity and is, in fact, being used to power GM's new Cadillac Diesel today . . . no wonder she lived to 100!

VIVA

The Hunger (or should I say, The Thirst)