The balance of tomato, cheese and meat couldn’t be faulted.
The weather on the day of my visit to Hackney Bridge, East London’s street food hub by the River Lea, was temperamental to say the least. Spells of blazing sunshine followed by bouts of rain meant that sitting inside felt like the sensible decision. But before even setting foot inside I made a mental note to make a return trip on a calmer day and enjoy their lovely, expansive riverside seating, writes Caitlin Odell.
When ordering drinks, I was immediately reassured by the selection of lager and IPA, the first instance of many where I felt utterly spoilt for choice. It was a Campfire IPA for the first, and it went down very well whilst deciding what food to get. After being advised by the bar staff that we couldn’t go wrong , we decided to follow instincts and order from Bovine Burger and pizza from Made in Puglia.
Bovine Burger was ready first, and we ordered the chilli burger which was two smashed patties topped with American cheese, jalapeños, crispy onions, sriracha mayo and chilli sauce. For such a generously filled burger, it held together well and the addition of heat and acid from the jalapeños cut through it very nicely. One glance at the chips was all I needed to know that they were going to be good, and they were. In fact, they were great – toeing the line between French fry and thick cut, and almost miraculously crispy.
The first promising thing about our Made in Puglia pizza, was the unsparing sprinkling of crispy Italian sausage on top. And before I had the chance to start worrying that the yielding Neapolitan style base wouldn’t be up to the challenge of supporting it (which they so often aren’t), I was lifting it into my mouth only to find that it was. It was also delicious dough in its own right; the chef who made that particular pizza clearly knows more than a thing or two about ratio, because the balance of tomato, cheese and meat couldn’t be faulted.
One of my favourite things about Neapolitan style pizzas is that the big puffy crusts lend themselves so well to dipping. As soon as I saw the words ‘fresh rocket aioli’ and ‘chilli lemon mayo’, I could hardly contain my excitement for the pizza’s closing ceremony. Both dips were fantastic, and they complemented the flavours on the pizza perfectly.
I reserved judgement when the bartender told me I couldn’t go wrong at Hackney Bridge, but after a wholly successful visit, I am inclined to believe him – and I very much look forward to returning to continue testing his theory.
Hackney Bridge, Units 1-28, ECHO BUILDING, East Bay Lane, London, E15 2SJ. Tues – Sun. https://hackneybridge.org/
