Becoming a creature of habit leads me to things like staying in the same flat whenever I travel to London. For several years now, I’ve been staying just off Old Street in the area known as Shoreditch. It’s a convenient lively area that has come to feel like my London home away from home.
One of the things I love about the neighborhood is its wide variety of early morning to late night food shops along the never-sleeping Old Street. There’s falafels, chicken kabobs, donuts and yes, even pizza. This past year, I couldn’t resist trying a “slice” from Slice and More, a place I’ve walked by many times on my way to and from the Underground.
Slice and More is love at first sight as soon as you walk through their door. Like its name implies, its “more” than just slices. There are scrumptious-looking sandwiches and sweet treats, including a Caprese and some Cannoli for Italian food lovers. They even serve up breakfast goodies in the morning. But, I am the Pizza Snob, and my mission began when I stopped there one night (after seeing Arctic Monkeys at Royal Albert Hall) for some pizza to take back to the comfort of my flat.
Slices at this place translate to small round Margherita pizzas of which I was able to order only a half (£4). The chap behind the counter took one that was sitting out and reheated it in the oven for about four minutes. Asking if I want it cut, I replied in the affirmative, and I soon make my way out the door with a small white box holding a half pie sliced into four small pieces.
Just before his process was complete, the chap took a plastic bottle and squirted something on top of my pizza. Having seen some unusual condiment usage in England, I feared that this was something odd like vinegar! Fear unfounded as it was just some olive oil which turned out to be a nice taste touch.
All things considered, my half of Slice and More’s little round pizza was nothing unique or spectacular but was nonetheless quite tasty. The one thing that I didn’t so much care for was that some of the cheese on top wasn’t quite fully melted which added an odd texture to my eating experience. For a pre-bedtime snack like this, it was delightful. The combo of the cheese, sauce and dough all tasted good. Not a lot of rocket science went into this pie’s construction, but it was more than adequate.
This is not a place I would send you to for pizza, but, for a convenient neighborhood joint, this place is fab. Facing the facts however, the pizza is mediocre and next year I’ll probably try the Caprese. Oh yeah, the Cannoli I had later in the week was great!
PIZZA SNOB RATING *** Better Than Dominos
Slice and More
23 Old Street
London, EC1V 9HE, UK
44 20 7253 4583
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