Lupa

I often feel that it's difficult to obtain good pizza anywhere except in its heartland in Italy (and possibly the US). Nevertheless, there are a number of places in London where the pizza is very very tasty, although perhaps a tad inferior to what can be had in Rome. One such place is your very own living room, if you happen to live in and around Crouch End or Hampstead. This is because you can get very decent pizza delivered to your front door from Lupa, a eat out-only pizzeria that serves up far superior fare to Pizza Hut.

Lupa has 2 outlets, one located in Crouch End, the other in West Hampstead. One can either ask for pizza to be delivered, in which case one needs to live within either outlet's catchment area, or one can ask to collect it. Delivery is probably the better method, as one can ask for the pizza to be delivered by a certain time (although it sometimes comes earlier).

Lupa
55 West End Lane
London NW6 1XN
020 7431 5222

or

Lupa
60 Crouch End Hill
London N8 8AG
020 8348 8888

First, a word about the caramelised onions. Lupa includes their own caramelised onions in certain recipes, and these generally add a whole new dimension to the pizza or the salad. The onions are caramelised in sugar, then finished in balsamic vinegar, and are at once sweet and tangy. Order anything with them - you'll find they vastly improve a pizza you thought you were familiar with.

There are 16 pizzas available from Lupa, from old standards such as quattro stagioni (pepperoni, artichokes, prosciutto, olives, mushrooms, tomato sauce and mozzarella) and quattro formaggi (fontina, gorgonzola, goat's cheese, mozzarella on tomato sauce and Lupa's caramelised onions), to newish recipes like reine (mushrooms, olives, prosciutto, tomato sauce, mozzarella) and tre gusti (pepperoni, mushrooms, goat's cheese, tomato sauce, mozzarella). One can also order the garlic bread, topped with the same caramelised onions.

For sides, there are 11 salads, ranging from nicoise to finocchio (fennel and orange with cherry tomatoes dressed with balsamic vinegar). There's even coleslaw. For dessert there's either Ben & Jerry's ice cream, or 4 types of cake (I recommend the honeycomb cheesecake).

It's a cut above your regular delivery service. Highly recommended, even if it is a little more expensive, as the pizza is as good as anything one might be able to order at a restaurant.

Scores:

22 Feb 2008: TFQ = 24, CS = 24, S = 14, AD = 5, VfM = 7. Total = 74 points.

Note: I've awarded 5 points for ambience, as this is the average level. What else could I give my own living room?

What does this mean?