I also love a good deal.
So when my boyfriend suggested we check out new casual dining joint Tank and Paddle's £5 pizza offer - I couldn't say no... Even though I hate doing things on Mondays.
We rocked up to an almost empty restaurant in their recently opened Bishopsgate site, just around the corner from Liverpool Street. Despite being in the land of bankers and suits, the mix match of comfy cushioned chairs and bar stools at wooden tables makes it relaxed enough for anyone to enjoy - even me in my jeans and trainers.
Because there's no pretending here. No, this is an order at the bar, pizzas on a board kind of place. And eating with your hands is definitely OK..
Even the menu doesn't take itself seriously swapping traditional Pizza names for the funnier "Beef Encounter" , "Veg your bets" Or my- "Meat your match" - the all out meat feast option because when there's a deal -you've got to make the most of it!
And thankfully for me, the menu is small and simple (I have serious issues with restaurant decisions) with just eight, crispy-based Pizzas alla Romana style, all cooked in a PROPER PIZZA OVEN. Oh the joy (and relief) when spotting that baby in a restaurant. It's a sure sign you are about to eat very good pizza.
Take that Pizza Express.
Although I'll always save the top spot for that doughy and indulgent Neapolitan version (Franco Manca *cough cough), Tank and Paddle can cook that crust to crispy perfection.
If for some crazy reason you don't fancy Pizza (?!!) Mac and Cheese is also on the cards, but not included in the £5 deal and most defiantly NOT Italian. But hey you gotta give people choices.
Aside from the tasty without trying thing they've got going on - Tank and Paddle's other big thing is BEER. Craft beer, obviously, with the likes of well-known Brewdog on tap as well as the more obscure Welsh "cwtch" (bottled beer). They even go one step further and serve Meantime from huuuuge tanks - hence the name Tank in Tank and Paddle. The reason? The freshest beer you can drink. (apparently).
I wouldn't know because although I do actually drink the stuff, it was an eye watering £5 plus for a pint so it was just tap water for us (#studentlife4ever). However, if you are quick enough to get down there at 5pm on Tuesday,the first 100 pints are just £2. And Wednesdays is a Pizza and a pint for £10. Actually it would be hard to pick a night without a deal so any night can be Pizza night!
And as if you aren't having enough fun already - because quite frankly who doesn't when they eat pizza - they even have a games room upstairs - the kind of ones that have the potential to be hilarious when drunk e.g Giant Jenga and shuffleboard, which it seems I am a natural at, beating my boyfriend who always wins EVERYTHING.
Fun and games aside - Tank and Paddle is the cool older cousin of Pizza. It doughsn't care what the dress code said - tasty food is more important that fitting in with the fancy city folk, letting Pizza be what it was meant to be - the quick but delicious street food of your every day Italian in Naples.
I just hope it stays around long enough so I can go back for more.
Comments
Post a Comment