A throwback to my first challenge in London, The Calzone Challenge at Ekko.
These seem to be quite popular as challenges. It was described as bigger than two large pizzas. I was in the area, hungry, and hey, I had not had pizza in a long time, so it was only right that I give it a go.
What arrived was the width of the table. The thought, “am I really going to eat this” flashed, but that was only brief. I was off. I ate it with a fork and knife since it would have been too messy to eat by hand, and I was not really trying to set a fast time.
It was delicious, and up until the crust was a very enjoyable challenge. The goat’s cheese added some nice flavour with the ham (I am a fan of goat’s cheese, if you are not, then this one may put you off). Being folded it-retained heat well, meaning the cheese did not cool. My tactic was to start from the middle and work my way out to finish one half then the other, not letting the remainder cool too much. Having done more challenges since then I have learnt that you do not, under any circumstance want to tackle a cold pizza challenge. It will slow you down a lot and really test your jaw. The crust on such a beast was a bit tough. Some sauce would have made it go down easier. However, in the end it took less than 20 minutes at a steady pace. My reward? Dessert. Who doesn’t leave room for dessert?
Overall, this was definitely easier than my previous challenge but it would still push some people without being impossible. A good stepping-stone towards more serious stuff. It tastes great and at under £15 it’s a great deal. No free meal or T-shirts for this one. Just think of it as something to curb an insane pizza craving with dessert thrown in as a motivator.
If you fancy a go, then head on over to:
Amici (now called Ekko) Restaurant
367 Holloway Road,
London,
N7 0RN
http://amicirestaurantn7.com/
