The other week we were invited to try out the Zizzi’s Vegan Menu. I was very keen to see what their dairy free cheese was like. Neither Phil or I are meant to eat dairy. I have a strange intolerance to dairy which I’ve mentioned before and although I do have dairy from time to time it leaves me with very very sore skin. The thought of being able to enjoy a pizza with the benefit of dairy free cheese was very exciting.
I believe Zizzi are one of the first main chain restaurants to offer a dairy free cheesy pizza here in the UK. I think it’s fantastic that they’ve done this. It makes it easier for those of us with dairy allergies or intolerances and it’s excellent for vegans who want to dine out with friends and still have a variety of options. We should all be cutting down on animal products and with Zizzi introducing dairy free cheese to their menu this makes it much easier. They also cater for other allergies too so do check out their menu.
To start our meal we had olives and garlic bread. The olives at Zizzis are always very tasty and this time was no different. We were served a big mountain of green olives in a tall martini glass. The olives were fresh and very tasty.
As you can probably tell, the lighting wasn’t the best for photos. I put together the video at the top of the page to give you a real feel for the restaurant and the food.
The garlic bread was was thin, crispy and delicious. I think that’s all down to the sprinkling of rosemary on top and roasted hunks of garlic.
For our mains we each picked a pizza from the vegan menu. The idea is that you have your base with dairy free cheese (Mozzarisella) and then you customise it with whatever you like. We decided to stick to the vegan toppings but there’s no reason you couldn’t go for something with meat.
I really enjoyed designing my own pizza, it was a lot of fun. I went for mushrooms on mine and P had olives, butternut squash and green chillies.
So, let’s talk about the most important part, the cheese. Zizzi are using a brand of vegan cheese called Mozzarisella. It’s 100% vegan and 100% organic. Mozzarisella melts like regular cheese but doesn’t have the gooey, stringy texture that you would normally expect from a pizza. This was the only downside for P but he still enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the cheese, I thought that my pizza tasted just like a regular pizza, seriously. You won’t be dissapointed. I’ll be more than happy to have this again next time we’re in Zizzi. I’m actually craving a pizza right now.
The big questions is, would we go back for the dairy free cheesy pizza? Yes, of course. Zizzi have done a fab job at creating a pizza for people with allergies and vegans. I no longer need to have pizza envy.
We were both very full from the pizza so we didn’t have a dessert. They do have some good options though. Phil was tempted by the coconut and mango gelato and I liked the sound of the NECTARINI – two roasted nectarine halves filled with coconut & mango swirl gelato & fresh mint. We’ll have to give them a try on our next visit.
You can find the allergen menu online so you can see what you fancy beforehand.
Have you tried the vegan menu at Zizzi?