Here's a little-known aspect of Italian street food coming to Paris: pizza al taglio, in other words, pizza by the slice. To discover these square pizzas, ideal for eating on the go in the street, head for one of the three Parisian addresses of Baldoria, Piero Ceschia and Gregorio Di Agostini's business, in the 2nd and 9th arrondissements of the capital.
At Baldoria, the idea is simplicity: whether it's the good products, some of which come directly from Italy, such as the organic flour used to make a pizza dough not far removed from focaccia, thick and airy, toasted and crispy; or the way these pizzas are eaten, directly with the fingers; or the recipes, 9 in all - including 5 vegetarian- devised by pizzaiolo Gregorio Di Agostini, with the help of Léonardo Gombi.
Whether you're a pizza homebody or looking for a new taste experience, Baldoria's menu has something for everyone, with classic margherita (€3.80) and 4-cheese (€4.20) pizzas alongside more original vegetable pizzas - like the Orto pizza, with pumpkin cream, braised escarole, marinated red cabbage and taggiasche olives ; and the Rapa pizza with beet and ricotta - or revisit traditional Italian dishes, like the Bollito pizza, with stewed meat and Piedmont parsley sauce.
And what else? A seasonal pizza, topped with button mushroom cream, sautéed cardoncelli mushrooms and truffle sauce (4.60€), a land and sea pizza with anchovies and broccoli cream (4.60€), a pork pizza, with guanciale, or a summer pizza, with mortadella and lemon vinaigrette (3.80€). And for those with a sweet tooth, a pizza with gianduja cream spread and crushed Piedmont hazelnuts (4.60€).
As for price, a slice of pizza varies between 3.80€ and 4.60€. Not cheap, it's true, compared to a classic round pizza. But the idea here is to try several recipes in a single lunch, and these are satisfying. The restaurant recommends 3 slices of pizza per person, and offers 2 lunch menus at €13.80, which include a drink, 2 slices of pizza and a dessert, or 3 slices of pizza; and indeed, you leave Baldoria feeling hungry and satisfied with the food.
It remains to be seen whether this will be convincing enough to make purists forget traditional pizza in favor of these little square pizzas!
Location
Baldoria
12 Rue Bachaumont
75002 Paris 2
Official website
baldoria.fr