Mother

Copenhagen’s mother of all pizzerias – Mother (pun had to be made) – has landed in London and most excitingly, it’s laid its roots in my soon-to-be neck of the woods, Battersea. Though I won’t quite be a Nine Elms resident, the developing Circus West Village, underneath the trendy old arches, has a lot going for it: it’s right by the river, it sits alongside the iconic power stations, and it’s just a stone’s throw away from beautiful Battersea Park and arguably London’s prettiest bridge: Albert Bridge. Though at times the area, with its largely unoccupied luxury flats, can feel like a soulless Canary Wharf, the string of new openings around Battersea Power Station in their well-branded Power of Summer – everything from The General Store to the upcoming Coffee Works Project – is exciting, especially because of the soft launches that come with. And on this note, Mother’s opening was timely, providing an opportunity to celebrate completion with vino and pizza (on the house).

Mother Pizza first became popular in Copenhagen in 2010 when it opened in the city’s Meatpacking district. Like New York’s equivalent, the area is synonymous with fine dining but the restaurant takes the form of old industrial spaces, where meat was packed in the early part of last century. The industrial Nine Elms is not dissimilar – it is, after all, home to the power stations. So really, it’s a home away from home, combining Nordic design influences with Italian best practice pizza making. And making the most of their riverside spot, there’s a generous outdoors eating space, ideal for July though not on the rainy evening of its launch.

Although a soft opening, it was far from quiet: noisy in fact. The thumping music made it feel like a night-club, perhaps too banging?! I guess it was a launch party, though, so I’ll cut them some slack. Continuing the chaos, margarita pizzas were being served by the slice. And the queue was rather long, though I managed to convince the manager (?) to send over a few whole ones for the family to enjoy to our table at the back of the enormous space.

Now the pizzas: though not adorned with any toppings – not even black pepper – the pizzas were pretty good. Indeed, the blank canvas throws light onto the bases themselves: over the past seven years, queuing for Mother’s sourdough seawater-bases has become second nature to Copenhagen residents. They were light, crispy and ever-so-slightly charred: very moreish. I’m definitely going to have to return to try out their full menu, which features a range of salads (hello aubergine croquettes) and pastas.

So Denmark don’t just do style, but also pizzas. I do remember going to a fab pizza place in Copenhagen last year (Neighbourhood: http://www.neighbourhood.dk). I’m so glad the Scandi take on pizza can now be found a spot closer to my (new) home!

Mother Pizza, Battersea Power Station, 2 Arches Lane, SW11 8AB

Website: http://www.motherrestaurant.co.uk/

Rating: ****