The gastronomic harmony made an extremely satisfying pizza
The Old Nun’s Head continues its mission to bring an ever-changing selection of chefs and their version of the iconic Italian pizza to SE15. This month, Slice Circle are teaming up with Mamapen in a collab that will bring the taste of Cambodia to Nunhead, writes Michael Holland.
Mamapen is the brainchild of Cambodian-born chef, Kaneda Pen, who has been honing his craft in some of the capital’s hottest eateries since 2020, with a mission to promote Cambodian cuisine and culture throughout London and beyond. Kaneda says he ‘never forgets his culinary traditions but is never restricted by them.’ He wasn’t lying.
Slice Circle (Angus Whitfield and Methun Chelvan) always serve up a tempting menu of New York-style 14” pizzas in the pub; pizzas with crispy crusts that are rarely left on the plate but dunked in the array of dips. And don’t let me get started on the toppings! But that’s not what I’m here for.
I was there for the launch of the Mamapen Pizza going on the menu for the month of August: The ‘Tro-Pic Thunder’.
Chef Angus brought that bad boy out and went through the list of ingredients, some I’d never heard of and some I couldn’t wait to get stuck into: Fior di Latte – Mozzarella from the south of Italy, a special plum tomato, spring onion, aubergine, lime juice, fish sauce, coriander, pickled chilli, stir-fried pork, and cucumber. Each ingredient had a specific job to do: the cheese and tomato for pizza tradition, the pork, fish sauce, lime juice and coriander to bring in the Cambodian aspect, the vegetables because we all need to eat vegetables, with the cucumber being quite crucial for balance against the eye-watering kick of the chilli. All together, in gastronomic harmony and unison, they made an extremely satisfying whole.
I was with the vegetarian Fiona, who couldn’t have the meat Tro-Pic Thunder, but had the Red Pie, a vegan option off the usual menu. It looked quite basic written down – San Marzano tomato, oregano, garlic, and breadcrumb, but, boy, did that pizza pack a punch! The taste was intense from that pureed tomato. So intense she had some boxed up for taking home for later.
All in all, a great night trying new food, tasting different drinks (a nice hazy lager), and catching up on our lives. And the best thing was that a donation from the collab pizza will go to the Reconnecting Cambodia charity, that brings families back together after more than 50 years of war.
The Old Nun’s Head, 15 Nunhead Green, Nunhead, London, SE15 3QQ
Website: theoldnunshead.co.uk
