Pinsarke, Southsea | Dish Detective restaurant review

It has been a cold, dark few weeks since my Dish Detective companion and I returned to rainy Portsmouth from the glorious Italian coast.
Pinsarkè, SouthseaPinsarkè, Southsea
Pinsarkè, Southsea

A holiday destination chosen largely for its cuisine, we ate our way through piles of delicious pasta, sumptuous tomato salads, and mouth watering pizzas.

Surely, we thought on our return, two foodies such as ourselves can find a similar taste of Campania in our own coastal city?

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Determined to investigate the city’s best Italian offerings, we booked a table at Pinsarkè in Clarendon Road, Southsea.

Pinsarkè, Southsea.Pinsarkè, Southsea.
Pinsarkè, Southsea.

This restaurant serves not pizza, but ‘pinsa’, a distant ancestor of today’s Chicago-style deep dish. With its very thin, crisp and light focaccia-style base, we are told the pinsa differs from typical pizza in the texture of its dough. Fitting, then, that the origin of its name can be traced back to ‘pinsere’, the Latin word meaning to flatten or stretch.

I start the evening with a cheeky shot of deliciously zesty limoncello (£3.20) before we choose our starter: a caprese salad (£6.99), with slices of mozzarella cheese and tomato on a bed of mixed salad, strewn with green and black olives and doused in olive oil. What’s not to like?

Then, on to the oblong-shaped pinsa, which comes served on a wooden block plus the necessary pizza cutter.

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For those who cannot do without a tomato base, there are several options on the pinse romane rosse menu, while strictly mozzarella-based pinsas can be found under the pinse romane bianche list.

Pinsarkè, Southsea.Pinsarkè, Southsea.
Pinsarkè, Southsea.

We decided to split a pie from each side of the menu - for research purposes, of course - and are served a tomato sauce, mozzarella, and fresh basil red Roman (£12.99) and a mozzarella, courgette, stracchino, cherry tomato, and fresh basil white Roman (£15.50). Although not too much more than you might spend on a takeaway, the prices might seem a little steep.

However, when it comes to the pinsa, you’ll forget the price tag (which, I’ll warn you, goes up to £21 for the white Roman pinsa decked with buffalo mozzarella, baked ham, and porcini mushrooms).

Both pinsas were delicious: the bases lightly doughy without sacrificing structural integrity, and the toppings delivering fresh flavour without overloading the pie.

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The dough for the base, I understand, is a mix of wheat flour and rice and soy combined with a high percentage of water, left for natural leavening for up to 72 hours - creating a light flavour and texture. Any high expectations we had for the pinsa were truly met.

We sung the pinsas’ praises several times in the quiet ambience of the wine bottle-lined restaurant, the ceiling adorned with faux ivy. Fittingly for an Italian joint, the front desk is shaped like a scooter, complete with number plate.

Stuffed as we were from the pinsa, we found room for dessert. My companion opted for a classic sorbetto al limone (lemon sorbet) (£4.50), while I was tempted by an indulgent ‘profiterole bianco’ (£3.99). This treat comprises two chocolate-filled profiteroles submerged in white chocolate sauce.

While the stand-out star of the meal was the pinsa, you might also be tempted by the pasta dishes on offer, from tagliatelle alla bolognese (£12) and carbonara (£10) to maccheroni with spicy sausage and cheese (£12).

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I’d be more than happy to return. Perhaps next time Dish Detective will taste-test the white Roman with mozzarella, courgettes, aubergines, artichokes, and parsley (£17).

Although sadly not near the glittering waters of Positano’s seafront, or in a lively street at the heart of Napoli, this little restaurant brings to its dishes an Italian dedication to fresh, simple flavour and the perfect pizza base. A fitting opportunity to reflect on authentic Italian cuisine from our recent travels. Pinsarkè feels like a true taste of Italy in Southsea.

RATINGS (out of five)

Food: 5

Value: 4

Ambience: 3

Tel: (023) 9217 4185

A message from the editor, Mark Waldron.

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