INCREDIBLE PIZZAS AT FIREBRAND, MARYLEBONE

Do you know how excited I get when I discover great restaurants in West London? Growing up on this side of the tube map, it's not often you get to shout about your delicious food finds. All the best pop-ups, markets and street food vendors seem to reside in East London - but I've found an absolute gem of a pizza place, out here in West and I'm excited to shout about it! 

It's called Firebrand and it's tucked away just behind Marylebone station - towards Lisson Grove rather than Baker Street - making it the perfect spot for an after work pizza, if - like me - that's the place where you jump on the train!

It's got a small but cosy vibe, with exposed brick-work, brown leather seating and a huge clay pizza oven which takes pride of place at the front, visible from the street. I popped down last week with one of my good friends, courtesy of Love Pop-Ups London, and was treated to a night of good wine, great food and even better company. 

The menu here is simple - serving classic Italian dishes with the freshest, high-quality ingredients. You'll find everything from Tuscan Sausage Bruschetta to Mixed Cured Meat Platters on the starter menu - so it's definitely worth ordering a portion of the garlic bread (£5) to share while you decide.  

When I say garlic bread - I really mean Garlic Pizza bread because it's served as a huge round of pillowy dough, studded with garlic and a light sprinkling of herbs.

Try not to fill up on it too fast though as you won't want to miss the starters! If you're a cheese fan - you're in luck with Mozzarella, Goats Cheese and Burrata all featuring on the menu.

The Burrata, which is served with grilled courgettes and peppers (£8) is deliciously creamy - and even better when spread across a slice of that garlic bread (see why I told you to order one!). If I'm being super critical - I would prefer the burrata to arrive as a ball, rather than already sliced open - there's just something so enjoyable about cutting into yourself to reveal all that glorious cheese, isn't there? 

Continuing our cheese theme, we also ordered a portion of the Pan Fried Goats Cheese which comes served with spinach and topped with red onions which have been caramelised in a delicious balsamic glaze (£8). 

We ordered this on recommendation from our waiter, and I'm so glad we did - it was my stand out dish of the night. I might be a bit bias - as I ADORE goats cheese but it was absolutely delicious. Soft, creamy, salty and sharp - it's a definite must-order if you visit!

Now for the main event - and the real reason you're here - the pizzas. Firebrand prides itself on its sourdough pizza bases, made using caputo flour from Naples, which are left to prove for 72 hours before being baked in the in-house pizza oven.

They're served the classic Naples way - thin, crispy but still with that delicious chewy texture and slathered with great toppings! I went for the Goats Cheese (shock), courgette and sweet potato pizza (£13) which was delicious. I've never had sweet potato on a pizza before but the discs were slightly crisp and added a lovely sweet flavour to balance out the goats cheese. My friend opted to the Nduja, Salami and Mushroom which she vouched was absolutely delicious too - and great for lovers of spice!

We both really enjoyed the food at Firebrand and were super impressed with the quality of the pizza. It's got such a nice, local vibe in the restaurant and was absolutely packed by about 7.30pm on the Wednesday night that we visited. The team are just about to launch a brand new restaurant in Hammersmith - another win for West Londoners - and I know I'll definitely be heading down there, I highly recommend that you do the same!

Firebrand

41-43 Lisson Grove, Marylebone, London NW1 6UB

* We were guests of Firebrand

Our meal was complimentary but all opinions are honest