As Dough Hands leaves its residency at the Old Nun’s Head pub, an exciting new pizza duo – made up of a former Dough Hands chef and a Bad Boy Pizza Society alumnus – are stepping in to ensure pizza keeps coming. Say hello to Angus Whitfield and Methun Chelvan, aka Slice Circle, writes Michael Holland.
These boys love their pizza; they have learnt the game from the inside out, and then went full outside in with a trip to New York to really dive deep into the world of pizza. It is where they fully developed their plans to break out on their own with pop-ups popping up and getting rave reviews for their 14-inchers.
There are no ‘regulars’ on the menu. Anyone looking for a Margherita or a Pepperoni should carry on to the High Street where they’ll find a pizza chain production line churning them out. At the Old Nun’s Head, Slice Circle are creating magic of their own volition. Slice Circle do not even call their wares pizzas; they call them pies. They follow no one but are leading the way in SE London.
My companion for dinner was Julia, who had arrived bright and early. She had picked up on the buzz around SE15 about Slice Circle and wanted to make sure she got there before they sold out! In fact, by the time I strolled in, she had already ordered the new June addition to the menu, the Masala Rosa.
I needed to catch up, so I quickly ordered a glass of wine and the Nun Pie, something the boys designed in honour of the pub and the Nunhead area, which I thought was a nice touch. It showed respect. Perhaps that was something they picked up in Little Italy. Mi capisci?
When the pizzas arrived, I didn’t think they were going to fit anywhere. We needed the whole table for four to put our drinks, phones, pizzas, and dips on. I looked around for cutlery, but there was none. Our server had, however, brought a pile of paper napkins. These slices had to be eaten by hand, New York-style.
Immediately, as I folded the first slice, I knew that the raised crust was there to contain the juicy sauce topping that was trying to slide off. The soppressata slices nearly got away under a wave of deliciously gooey fior di latte mozzarella, but a tilt of the slice saved them and my shirt! I was in some kind of Italian paradise. There was something completely different from any other pizza I’d had. But what was it? The different cheeses helped. The density of tomato flavour was definitely a factor. But it was the hot honey that lifted the Nun Pie up into the higher echelons of the pizza world. I had visions of picking up the platter to lick off every last morsel of sauce at the end. I realised I was making audible public displays of adoration when I noticed people looking over.
It was at this moment that Methun came to the table to introduce himself and talk us through how Slice Circle came to be, their ethos, their various collabs, and his mum’s secret sauce that was the foundation of Julia’s Masala Rosa. I quickly dabbed at my mouth, which was slathered with topping. What a waste, I thought.
Methun was enthusiastic, passionate, and as he had come straight from the kitchen, had a delightful dusting of flour on his apron. He told us of the dips (Garlic and Herb; Calabrian Chilli and Lemon, and Ranch), how he learnt to cook in Southern India with his mother, and how he tries to bring those flavours from home into what he does now.
Neither I nor Julia could finish our pizzas. We managed half each. But still managed to finish off the tiramisu… Just out of politeness, you understand, don’t you? Besides, it was so light we had to eat it before it floated away!
As I’m writing this, I can’t stop thinking about the remaining half of my Nun Pie in the kitchen, boxed up with the chilli dip, so I’ll finish right here.
Slice Circle will be in residency for about a year, and I suggest getting along there and working your way through the menu. That’s what I’ll be doing.
The Old Nun’s Head, 15 Nunhead Green, Nunhead, London SE15 3QQ
Two pizzas, wine, water, juice, dessert. £66
Times: Mon-Fri, 4.30pm-9pm; Sat, 12 noon-9pm
