(Louisiana Pizza - £11)
Once again, The Students were hungover. Due to their recent health burst, their fridge lacked anything worthy of a hangover day and there was 'no way in hell' Jamie was sitting on the sofa in his pyjamas eating a salad. No, it was a pizza day. So they made themselves presentable and ventured from the flat to No.1 Watson Street, home of quirky craft pizzas and a current 50% off deal. Located at, you guessed it, Watson Street at the Great Northern Square, No.1 Watson Street prides themselves on great beer and great pizzas.
Seated in their new restaurant area at the back of the laid-back main space, The Students perused their pizza options. It was quickly clear that No.1 Watson Street didn't hold back when it came to innovative pizza toppings. One pizza even had chicken, waffles, bacon and maple syrup on! Em thought it sounded good but Jamie couldn't think of anything worse. Instead, he opted for the Louisiana Pizza - brisket, pork, meatballs and BBQ sauce whilst Em chose a Reggae Rhythm Pizza - Jamaican pulled pork with a rum and BBQ marinade and pineapple salsa. Said salsa was rejected however; pineapple has no place on pizza, even wacky ones.
(With ice, without ice...)
Em never has ice in her coca-cola. Take a guess why she was not impressed with her drink when it arrived...That cost £2.
(Reggae Rhythm Pizza - £9.50)
The pizzas however hit the spot; proper pizza dough bases, a tasty tomato sauce and stringy cheese. The toppings were sprinkled sporadically over the top, perhaps leaning into the realm of stinginess, but just as flavoursome as you would expect.
The pulled pork on the Reggae Rhythm was succulent and tender without being fatty or wet. The marinade that was drizzled over the top was sweet with hints of jerk spices that could have taken being a little more dominant to give the whole pizza that extra kick, but then perhaps that was the role of the rebuffed pineapple salsa? Who knows?
The Louisiana was rather BBQ-y but without being too much. The meatballs were definitely the favourites of the 3 meat toppings, followed by the tender brisket and pork. The BBQ sauce was the house-own BBQ sauce and had that lip-smacking smokiness with a sweetness kick that lifted the meat to new levels of flavour.
(Deluxe fries - £4)
The Students decided to treat themselves and share some Deluxe fries between them. That was after they asked what differentiated the Deluxe fries from regular fries. Dusted with what tasted like paprika before being drizzled with white truffle oil and topped with Parmesan the Students monstered the lot. 10/10 recommendation on the Deluxe fries.
With the 50% off, the bill was no where near the horrifying levels often associated with city dining. Even full price the bill would have not even scraped £30 for a very filling meal. With the sheer quality of the pizzas, regardless of if preference dictates more toppings, No.1 Watson Street is rather good value for money and certainly one the Students will return to.