At House of Coco, we’re already big lovers of Neapolitan restaurant chain, Rossopomodoro. Their most recent opening in Kingston-Upon-Thames prompted us to jump on a short train ride from London to visit their shiny new restaurant in the centre of the city.
When we heard that Rossopomodoro’s latest concept was located in Kingston’s John Lewis store, we were intrigued to see how it looked. We were used to visiting their standalone restaurants tucked away on picturesque, bustling streets rather than up a few floors of a department store next to the haberdashery department. However, in terms of department store eateries, it’s one of the best we’ve been too. Situated on the first floor, you can find Rossopomodoro tucked in a corner that it almost feels separate from the store the moment you step in.
The restaurant’s iconic gold mosaic wood-fired pizza oven is in full view as you enter and you instantly forget you’re in the middle of John Lewis. The whitewashed wooden flooring and white tables lend the area a light, fresh feel, which is extremely welcoming after a few hours of retail therapy. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows flood light into the dining room, making for quite a serene, beautiful restaurant setting. When we visited for a weekend brunch, the winter sun was shining so we were fortunate enough to look out onto the city whilst enjoying the good food. Evenings must make for an equally charming setting, as strands of simple bulbs are draped from the ceiling in a rustic-but-ever-so-stylish manner.
We decided to test drive their brunch menu having had our fair share of their pomodoro bruschettes, quattro formaggi pizzas and gamberi e cecipasta pasta (it’s their speciality of black ink linguine with prawns.) If you’re after brunch that’s anything but ordinary, Rossopomodoro is your go-to. Their version of a full English, Colazione di Parma, had us at ‘pizza bread’ in the description – pizza for breakfast, what’s not like to like? Fear not, this isn’t a slice of Margherita slapped next to your fried breakfast; warm, pizza doughy bread is topped with fresh vine tomatoes, alongside parma ham, sausage, mushrooms and egg. (We chose scrambled, but sunny side up or poached can be done – who are we to judge?) The tomatoes were juicy and delicious, the parma ham made for a fancy bacon alternative, and overall the breakfast was very tasty and well-seasoned. There are various frittata options to choose from – the omelette with mascarpone cheese and salmon caught our eyes – and Italian cakes and pastries look mouth-watering for those with a sweet tooth.
There must be something that the Neapolitan restaurant chain is doing right. With more than 80 venues worldwide, it seems we’re all hooked on their freshly baked breads, antipasti platters, classic Italian pasta dishes and now their Italian brunch offerings; comforting food that manages to put a big smile on your face.
For more information or to make a reservation, contact the restaurant on 02085460073 or email at kingston@rossopomodoro.co.uk
John Lewis
Wood Street
Kingston-Upon-Thames
KT1 1TE