Eatery Hopping: Good Belly Pizza, London [Vegan!]

sneak peak: there's a new vegan pizzeria in town, and it is mighty delicious; please welcome... Good Belly Pizza (ft. vegan truffle mac n cheese pizza)

Good Belly Pizza opened two weeks ago as London's newest all-vegan delivery-only pizzeria, and is already changing the game. I went to their tasting evening yesterday with a lovely bunch of other expert vegan pizza connoisseurs, and had eight different pizzas. Eight. 

I should clarify: I didn't eat eight whole pizzas (that would be very impressive), but a slice of each and then, just in case that wasn't enough, a casual extra two slices to fill in any gaps. And some vegan mac & cheese on its own too. I know I have a sizeable appetite but honestly, sometimes I amaze myself. Last week I could only make it through half a Zizzi pizza and had to get the rest boxed up, and here I am neatly tidying it all away like it's no big deal.

Anyway, digression over, I come to you now with photos and words of wisdom and a healthy dose of nostalgia for my yesterday evening self who got to enjoy all this. With a menu chock-full of puns (ello ello, right up my alley) and genius flavour combinations, in the words of the bearded old man himself, let the feast... begin.

We started with the Marga-Ri-Ri - a classic if ever there was one. This isn't just any margherita though - setting the standard for the rest of the pizzas to come, the base was doughy and fluffy then thin and crispy just where it should be, but strong enough to hold the toppings without breaking everywhere when you pick up a slice. Basically, perfect. Top that with rich and fresh marinara sauce, vegan cheese that is entirely indistinguishable from non-vegan (not a word of a lie, try it and you will see), basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil, and this pizza could pass for an authentic creation from the depths of Italy.

Any leftover crusts can be enjoyed as they are (did I mention the dough is good?), or dunked in a sauce. The housemade ranch dressing, truffle mayo and kimchi mayo are divine (as, I'm sure, is the roasted garlic aioli), and the Pain in the Butt sauce made by vegan kimchi brand 'Lil Kimi Chi' is completely delicious, the perfect level of gentle, warming spice, and (thankfully) not painful at all.

For an equally classic pizza experience, there is the Quattro Stagioni, which uses the margherita as a base, but swaps the basil leaves for parsley and adds mushrooms, kalamata olives, artichokes, red onion, and garlic oil. It's umami and delicious and probably a bunch of your five a day too, so dive right in.

Those with more adventurous pizza tastes but still with an appreciation for umami and mildly briney will enjoy the Kimcheese. This one is made with, as the name suggests, kimchi and cheese. It's basically the margherita base with kimchi on and it may sound unusual but boy does it work. The kimchi is made by 'Lil Kimi Chi', so dunk some Pain in the Butt sauce on this and a dollop of kimchi mayo and you're having a pizza party that your gut will thank you for.

Oh, feeling thirsty after all that kimchi? You can take your gut-friendly party one step further and wash the pizza down with a Remedy Kombucha in raspberry lemonade or ginger lemon, just to add to the fermented foods and make you feel like your meal could easily be incredibly healthy. Maybe that's why I had so much space for pizza. Not into kombucha? No problem, go for a Karma Cola or Karma Lemonade instead.

Next up, I'm going to stir the controversy pot with a vegan take on a Hawaiian pizza. This is the WaKiKi Do You Love Me?, and it features fresh pineapple and vegan bacon bits on the classic margherita base. Now, I actually didn't like pizza until the age of about 13 (keep your judgement to yourselves please) because I couldn't abide the thought of stringy cheese. I soon came to my senses and have enjoyed many a pizza in my time, but I can confidently say I have definitely had more vegan pizzas in my nearly two years of being vegan than I have ever had non-vegan pizzas. However, in amongst all those pizzas, I have never had a Hawaiian pizza. Until now. And friends, it was actually very tasty. I probably wouldn't choose it, but that's personal preference of sweet and savoury, and if this was put down in front of me I can assure you I would happily eat the whole thing.

The FAB (Feta, Avocado, Bacon) is also new to me, and actually now I think about it I don't know if I've ever had avocado on bacon before either. Aaallllll the new things, hello newly expanded pizza horizons! The feta is made from coconut but doesn't taste of coconut in the slightest, and the bacon bits are just right. There are enough sprinkled on there that you can definitely get the flavour and the texture, but not so many that the overall profile of the pizza is overpowered. I should learn how to exercise this sort of self control when making my own food, because more is not always merrier. Sometimes just right is merriest.

Let's now talk about the one that everyone will be obsessing over, and rightly so - truffle mac n cheese on a pizza. What. The mac is so cheesy (albeit only the third mac and cheese I've ever had in my life, all of which have been vegan but all of which have been incredibly cheesy) and it has a glorious topping of crispy parmesany breadcrumbs. It is truffly and comforting and delicious, but if you really want to up the truffle ante then you can add some truffle mayo, because why not? This is an extraordinary pizza creation. And the base held strong too, which blew my mind. A feat of culinary engineering.

We're on my favourites now, because I have saved the best until last in the hope that either it will make you read all the way to the end, OR if you don't then you won't know to order these ones and they will never be sold out when I want to order them. Sneaky, but clever...

On the left we have the glory of the Buffalo Soldier, an innovative number that sees the margherita base (sans basil) elevated to new heights with ricotta (almond-based but not almondy), the house ranch dressing, fresh chives and, of course, the star of the show - buffalo cauliflower. This is so tasty that it's super easy to eat without really noticing quite how much you're getting through because it's just that good. Savour every mouthful.

And finally, please give a warm welcome to the Crazy Rich Asian BBQ. This is definitely not what I would have pegged as one of my favourites, but man alive it's really something special. I don't usually go a bundle on sweet/savoury combos, and definitely have more of a savoury tooth than sweet, but this one gets the balance spot on. This is the only BBQ-based pizza, which then goes in with the classic cheese, BBQ jackfruit (my love), pickled shallots (zingy) and a miso ginger drizzle (zingy and yet creamy?). It's amazing, totally new and definitely a very good menu choice.

There was also very adorable baby Zara and very adorable Pickles the boxer dog (optimistic nose pictured here), both unbelievably calm and cheerful and well-behaved, so all things considered this whole evening was probably #goals. Thank you to the Good Belly team for inviting me along and feeding us all so well!

Good Belly Pizza delivers through Deliveroo; Thursday & Friday 6-10pm, Saturday & Sunday 2pm-10pm. They're based in Holland Park in West London - check online to see if they deliver to you, and if not, get it delivered to a tube station instead (lol). This pizza is too good to go without.

- post #12 of 21 in the 21-day challenge -