La Balmesina
It’s not every day that you meet a genuine ‘pizza dough consultant’, but that is exactly the title that Massimo ‘Max’ Morbi held before opening La Balmesina with associates Alessandro Zangrossi (maître d’) and Mattia Ciresola (chef). Max can be found moving from table to table in this casual dining room, taking orders from groups of Italian expatriates, of which the restaurant was full on the night we stopped by (always a good sign), and pouring glasses from a list of exclusively organic and natural wines—his second passion after pizza.
Max says that the preparation of the dough is just as important as the recipe. All of the pizza dough here is made from stone-ground, organic Italian flour with a sourdough base, and each batch is slowly fermented for 72 hours before being baked in a classic pizza oven.
La Balmesina offers three styles of crust. The first, and most popular, is ‘La Tonda’, a personal-sized pizza made on a fine dough that maintains a nice crunch, but is never dry inside. The second style, ‘La Tonda de Espelta’, is the same size but is made from high-protein, easy-to-digest spelt flour and has a more nutty flavour. Finally, there’s the massive ‘La Pala’, which is an oval-shaped slab of pizza made for two people, with an extra light and crispy crust.
The pizza toppings at La Balmesina are pretty classic, including the eponymous Margherita Balmes with tomato, genuine Mozzarella di Bufala, confit tomatoes, Parmesan and basil. About half of all of the pizzas were vegetarian, and they aren’t over-loaded with ingredients, instead letting the quality of the prime material shine. We went with a classic Baggio (like the Margherita, but without basil and with artichokes). It really was some of the best pizza dough I have ever tasted. Next time I think I’ll try the Rugolin with roasted pumpkin purée, Porcini mushrooms, burrata and confit tomatoes.
La Balmesina has gained fame for its pizzas, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the menu should be passed over. A light starter of chilled aubergine Parmesan was delicate and satisfying, as were the plump and airy pillows of strangolapreti, a type of gnocchi (literally translated as ‘priest chokers’) typical of Trentino and made with spinach and ricotta cheese, no potato added. Start your meal off with a ‘Hugo’ spritz (elderflower liqueur, cava and mint)—a revelation and my new favourite summer aperitivo—and save room for the homemade tiramisu for dessert.
La Balmesina. Balmes 193. T. 93 415 6224. Open Mon-Tues 7.30am-5pm, Wed-Thurs 7.30am-5pm and 7.30pm-12.30am, Friday 7.30am-5pm and 7.30pm-1am, Saturday 7.30pm-1am, Sunday 1-5pm.