When translated from Italian, the word ‘cotto’ means cooked. One of Italy’s greatest gifts to the people of the world is pizza. Mediocre pizza has long been easy to come by in our city – I’m thinking post-midnight Mizzoni’s – but there has been a recent rise of promisingly interesting or authentically reverential dough-based action in the last five years. Top of my list would be Skinflint, Credo and Paulie’s Pizza.
Cotto in Stoneybatter is the latest addition to this list. It opened its doors at the top of Manor Street late last year, and brings some serious pizza and casual dining pedigree to the Dublin 7 ’burb. The chef-owner Conor Higgins once worked in Junior’s, the sister restaurant to Paulie’s Pizza in Dublin 4. In the summer of 2013, Higgins went out on his own to open Oxmantown along the Luas line just off Capel Street near the old Smithfield market, serving carefully crafted sandwiches, simple salads and good coffee. Higgins lives in Stoneybatter, and the building that now houses Cotto had caught his eye, partly because of its slightly unusual shape. It was the trust Higgins has in his staff at Oxmantown that enabled him to think seriously about taking on another premises.
“Oxmantown has been open for two and a half years,” Higgins tells me. “Last summer, I had to take some time off because of the arrival of a new baby. It gave me the opportunity to see how capable my staff were without me, and so I was able to focus on taking on a second place. Juggling the two spaces is quite easy because I trust my team. I consider myself very lucky to be able to do that.” Higgins is one of my favourite chefs in the city. I love his simple, understated approach to cooking. His food is always extremely well balanced. There is no ego in his cooking, just a love for good ingredients and an abundant affection for simple meals.
My favourite style of pizza boasts an unbloated but substantial crust covered with creative toppings, where less is always more. It’s this type of pizza that rules the roost at Cotto. They have gone for the Neopolitan style, the characteristics of which are a soft, pliable base. For dinner, Cotto will offer around twelve pizzas, with seasonal sides. “We wanted to do something different with our sides and starters,” explains Higgins, “so that we could balance the heaviness of pizza with lighter starters and sides. We also wanted to keep it loose and fluid, not too strictly Italian.”
My dinner date has the Parmigiana Melanzana pizza (€14), adapted to suit her vegan diet by taking away the cheese and adding handfuls of crisp rocket, no questions asked. The unblinking adaptability of the kitchen was duly noted and much appreciated. I plough through the Salsiccia Pizza (€15), scattered with Cotto’s housemade fennel sausage, dollops of sweet ricotta, slivers of tangy yet sweet cavolo nero, and a delicately restrained note of chilli. The dough is light enough that eating a whole pizza for one person doesn’t mean the onslaught of a carb-coma, and the quantity of toppings is well judged. They’re generous but not overwhelmingly messy.
The kimchi cucumber side (€4) is tempting but we go for the kohlrabi and napa cabbage slaw (€4) which is a perfect example of Higgins’ unassuming style. It’s simple, perfectly seasoned and lightly dressed enough as to allow the ingredients shine through. The sweet potato wedges are cut thick and bulky, their charred skins sprinkled with spiced seeds and yoghurt (€5). There are dips too, at €2 each or three for €5. The Jerusalem artichoke hummus is a sweet, nutty winner. An espelette aioli introduces me to the Basque chilli in the form of a mildly spicy garlic sauce, and a black olive tapenade works especially well when slathered onto my Salsiccia pizza. A tropically light lime and coconut posset with pleasantly syrupy pineapple and biscotti (€6) is an ideal palate cleanser, and is one of the three simple yet appealing desserts on the menu. The bill, which includes two cans of fizzy San Pelligrino sodas (€2.20 each) and herbal tea (€3), comes to €57.40.
The interior décor feels a little bare on our visit but it’s a work in progress, with an eye to tieing into the muted greys and birch ply of Oxmantown. They are also serving brunch, offering a Lebanese breakfast plate (€11) and Mexican baked eggs (€11). Alongside the Cotto brunch and lunch offering during the day, the coffee bar is operated by Brian Birdy of Full Circle Roasters. Birdy is known among coffee enthusiasts as undoubtedly the smiliest barista in Ireland, and makes a gorgeous brew.
Future plans at Cotto are to look into creating a sourdough pizza base, using a starter they acquired from their friend Vlad at Arun Bakery in Smithfield. They’re also looking into curing their own meats, such as salami, for their pizza toppings. “We have a great relationship with Clonanny Farm in North County Dublin,” enthuses Higgins. “They produce some really good rare-breed pork. We are hoping to get a few piglets and have Clonanny rear them so that we could use those for charcuterie in Cotto.”
Also in the near future would be a take-away and perhaps even a delivery option, to help Cotto’s pizzas travel throughout Stoneybatter and beyond.
Cotto
46 Manor Street, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7
Words: Aoife McElwain
Photos: Killian Broderick
