Do you think gluten-free pizza tastes like cardboard? Or that charcoal has no business being baked into pizza dough? I agree. So I was completely agog to find that a gluten-free base can taste like a pizza should and that charcoal dough tastes great at Zia Lucia restaurant in Chelsea.
Zia Lucia is part of an independent chain and I visited the newly opened branch on Fulham Road. Bright colours – red seats, wood flooring and a friendly vibe greet you at the door, and an exceptionally warm and friendly service,
The menu is simple – choose your pizza base and choose your topping. The pizza dough comes in four varieties; traditional – which they describe as unconventionally light, gluten-free made with gluten-free flour , wholemeal which is rich in fibre and the vegetable charcoal base. It was proving hard to pair the dough with the toppings but advice was on hand such as “wholemeal goes better with spicy toppings.”
We shared the burrata from Puglia, before moving on to the pizzas. We chose the vegetable charcoal and the gluten-free bases. The vegetable charcoal base is described on the menu as “evocative flavour, dramatic look, digestive gas-absorbing capacities“.
Vegetable charcoal pizza at Zia Lucia
This darkly brooding circle of dough certainly looked dramatic, the charcoal flavours were distinct and so were the flavours of the parmigiana toppings of tomato sauce, mozzarella and roasted aubergines. I can report, there was no sense of bloating at all.
And the gluten-free pizza was remarkable. It tasted just like a pizza should – no cardboard-like flavours anywhere. We had this base for a Margherita Doppia Mozzarella with fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella.
You could go for a plain margarita, of course, but what would be the point when there is fiery nduja, spicy spianata salami, truffle sauce, honey, burrata, rich blue cheese gorgonzola and roasted pepperoni available too?
I would have liked to grab a a negroni or spicy margarita (two choices on their menu) but having got there with my own wheels meant I had to forgo. So just went for a virgin aperol.
We ended the evening by sharing a tiramisu, a huge square of this delightful Italian dessert and left feeling sated and happy.
VERDICT: Zia Lucia is a jovial pizzeria, with an easy atmosphere and delicious pizzas in a typical pizzeria-like environment. I look forward to visiting again to try another style of pizza.
49 Fulham Broadway, London, SW6 1AE
Check out their menu