Quick bite: Pizza Pilgrim

Green and white and wood interior

The story behind Pizza Pilgrim is an inspirational one. Two guys moved to London after uni. Unhappy with the daily grind of being stuck in "real jobs", they quit to go on a six week pilgrimage through Italy. They picked up a little van and drove from North to South stopping off to sample wine in Montipulciano and taste Parmesan in Tuscany. When they returned they poured all their newfound Italian foodie knowledge into Pizza Pilgrim.

Mushroom and truffle oil pizza with extra salami

They painted their travelling van green and parked it on Berwick Street and queues quickly formed for their pizzas. The van's success has lead to a pizzaria on Dean street that I popped into last week for some lunch.

High bar stools and tables line the vast windows that frame their charming corner spot. Empty when we went but the main restaurant is downstairs, complete with travelling essential: the foosball table. Despite the emptiness, the friendly chatter of the chef and waiters created a comfortable soundtrack.

Green salad jazzed up with parmesan and capers

My pizza rapidly flew out of the huge oven behind us. Rustic looking, with robust cuts of Napoli salami and healthy slices of Portobello mushroom decorated the melted blobs of ripped good quality mozerella. My only complaint? the tomato sauce made it a tad watery, but this was an extra I added and I just mopped it up with the thick doughy crusts. Our side salad of beetroot and rocket leaves was zinged up with a spattering of baby capers and parmesan.

They now have a Pizza Pilgrim in Harvey Nics so if you ever find yourself near one of their ovens, order one - it's the perfect cure for any Italian craving.

pizzapilgrims.co.uk