I love pizza. I love the combo of carb, cheese, fresh tomato and fresh toppings. And when done well, you really can’t go wrong with a good pizza. And somewhere that never fails to deliver a good pizza is Franco Manca. Over the last couple of years i’ve tried out a few of the Franco Manca restaurants across London and then Brighton and now Reading. As if Reading has a Franco Manca? Must mean it’s now a cool place or something. When I got invited to the launch I jumped at the opportunity and brought one of my fave gal pals Abbi along with me. We arrived at the restaurant on one of the hottest days in the UK this year and were quite glad that we could sit outside and enjoy a pre dinner drink before heading inside to the cool restaurant. We both had an Aperol Spritz to start with, which whilst not my favourite drink, they do certainly grow on you, and whilst I still don’t love them, I do enjoy them. After our drink we got led inside to the restaurant and to an area where all of us bloggers were sat. I was sat on a long table with a few bloggers that I had met before, so it was lovely to catch up over quite an informal dinner, especially one with free flowing drinks.
After we were seated, Francesco, the wine connoisseur extraordinaire arrived at the table and we all tasted the wines that are exclusive to Franco Manca, and it was a really enjoyable experience – especially as they all tasted so different. Whilst the wine tasting was going on we tucked in to some delicious sides and started including olives, artichokes, buffalo mozzarella, burrata, salamis, hams, garlic bread and pesto. The combination of the wine and starters were perfect, and I definitely should’ve left more room for the main event. The pizza! During this time we also went up in small groups to the pizza counter and were talked through how the dough is made by Alphonso and got to make some dough ourselves. It was really fascinating, and it was really great to see how passionate Alphonso was about creating the perfect pizza dough! After seeing how the dough was made, some got the chance to make their own pizza, whilst others chose off of the menu. We chose a selection between the table so we could try a few of the different flavours. And the feast did not stop there, as we carried on with dessert and Limoncello. Of course I got a little carried away, chatting to the other bloggers, staff, and generally enjoying myself that I forgot to take ANY photos of the actual pizza, or the desserts – which only means I have an excuse to go back right?
Franco Manca is such a great option because it is a wallet friendly, no frills pizza place. You know you’re going to get great quality fresh pizza, and with only 8 or so options of pizza on the menu, alongside 2 or so daily specials and a few sides and desserts, it’s a great laid back pizza restaurant and it is one that I am always recommending to friends. Also that sourdough base is just heaven.
Where is your favourite place to grab some pizza?
Sophie x