Vegan pizzeria Purezza has become the talk of the town in recent months. Renowned for its plant-based Italian dishes the restaurant has proved to be a big hit with meat eaters and vegans alike. From its first restaurant in Brighton to its latest London location it’s proving to be a big hit so I headed down to see if it lived up to the hype.
The restaurant has a cosy, relaxed and inviting feel with many homey touches. We settled in to look at the menu while sipping on our choice of welcome drink. Harry went for a classic G&T as they had sadly ran out of the ingredients for the cocktail he had his eye on while I decided to be a bit more adventurous and went for the cocktail of the month, lemon cheesecake. This started off tasting exactly like the dessert, seriously sweet and creamy. However, after it had been sat for a minute the alcoholic taste got stronger and increasingly bitter leaving an earthy taste which was a disappointment as the initial flavour was perfect.
We started our meal as every good meal should start, with cheese! Being two big cheese fans we were really intrigued to find out if the vegan cheese board could hit the spot. This cashew-based cheese board has a variety of different flavours, each with a strong, cheesy taste and texture. Some of the cheeses had a strong flavour of the herbs or spices they had been paired with, but none of which overrode the overall taste. The biscuits that came with the cheese were a great accompaniment but didn’t have enough structure to hold the cheese and crumbled easily. Despite this not a crumb was left, it was a real hit!
Next, it was on to the main event, pizza! Purezza offers its pizzas on a variety of bases including sourdough, hemp flower base and gluten-free options. Harry opted for the calzone with a sourdough base and whilst I know not all vegan dishes should have a meat flavour for some people this is a real deal breaker. My other half was delighted that this pizza had really meaty flavours and overall the flavours were well balanced, although he thought the chickpeas didn’t really work within the dish.
I opted for the vulcano on the hemp base. I am a huge lover of spice but this is the hottest things I have ever eaten! It was so hot I had to seriously consider if I could even eat it at all but I managed to power through. Pureeza your spice levels have beaten me! Some of the vegetables included on the pizza didn’t really work texturewise in my opinion but the dough was cooked to perfection and the rice milk cheese tasted just like the dairy version. Overly it was a good dish even if it was a bit too hot for my tastes, I would definitely head back here again for pizza although likely not with this topping.
Finishing off for dessert we decided to split the chocolate brownie with ice cream and one of my favourites, the creme brulee. The brownie was sweet and deliciously gooey and the ice cream complemented the strong chocolate flavours well. The creme brulee
was likewise divine and although the texture was slightly different to the dairy version the flavour was deliciously identical.
Overall I think this is a great place to stop for a casual dinner, especially if you have a mixture of vegans, glutten free-ers and meat eaters as all will be left satisfied, although some of the dishes do need some rethinking. The basics of these dishes are truly excellent so with the right combination of menu options your in for a real treat.
I was invited to review through Love Pop Ups London, all words and opinions are my own.
Five Things To Do at Wembley Park
Top 10 Highlights of the Pride in London Festival
Exploring London Bridge on a Budget
Super Easy Adult Slushies
Leave a Reply