Nov. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The idea was simple enough: tour London with an Italian chef in search of the perfect pizza.

Francesco Mazzei of L'Anima agreed to be the culinary guide and drew up a shortlist of pizzerias. Bloomberg Television decided to come along with a producer and a cameraman to film the hunt.

What could go wrong? Only that we started at Franco Manca in Brixton and were all so blown away that the rest of the day was a washout, or rather a wine-out, as we felt it was only right to accompany our pizzas with a glass or two of Italian wine.

``I'd give it 11 out of 10,'' Mazzei said as we left Franco Manca. ``You'd be very happy to get pizza this good in Italy.''

The menu is as simple as could be: six basic pizzas starting at 4.60 pounds ($7.19) and a choice of organic Dolcetto (red) or Cortese (white) wine at 1.20 pounds a glass, or 6.80 pounds a bottle. We had the red and it was so smooth I bought a bottle to take home from Wild Caper, the eatery's food shop next door. That cost 5.10 pounds.

Franco Manca is owned by Giuseppe Mascoli, 50, from Positano, on the Amalfi Coast. He uses lievito madre natural yeast and slow- rising sourdough that he prepares 20 hours in advance. The brick oven is from Naples, the flour from Piedmont, the organic tomatoes from Liguria and the cheeses from Somerset. Yes, Somerset in England, where they are made by Alham Wood Cheese.

English Pizza?

``It's a great thing someone coming from Italy, using English produce and making such good pizzas,'' Mazzei said. ``It's a Naples-style pizza and it's good because it is real. But to have this phenomenal quality in London is unbelievable.

``It can be difficult to find good pizza in London,'' he said. ``PizzaExpress is a bit like McDonald's. There's no authenticity. It's fine for families and kids but not for a pizza connoisseur and not for a chef. I've never been to Pizza Hut.''

The pizza base at Franco Manca (Italian for Franco Is Missing) is soft and pliable, in the Neapolitan style, so you can fold it in one hand to eat it. (That's in contrast to the thin- and-crispy Roman base.) The cooking time is just 40 seconds, which is fortunate because there are only a few tables at Franco Manca and you can find yourself standing in line for a seat.

The flavors are pure, simple and distinct. Among the pizzas we tried was a wild-mushroom one featuring girolles and trompettes de la mort with garlic and anchovy, but no cheese. It cost 4.80 pounds and I'm going to have to go back to enjoy it again. Franco Manca, a simple place whose tables are split either side of the path through a south London market, is one of the most exciting eateries I have visited this year.

`Too Chewy'

After that, it was all downhill. We hadn't realized that many pizzerias only open at night, so we drove to Made in Italy, in Chelsea, and Napule, Fulham, before turning up at Firezza, in Notting Hill, which was open but devoid of customers. Firezza is a mini-chain of London pizza parlors using menus from Naples and, in this case, a cook from Poland. The waitress -- British-Caribbean- Sri Lankan -- was sweet and even delivered the pizzas to our table twice so that our cameraman got the angles he wanted.

``The quality of the mozzarella is good and the tomato is good too, but it's too chewy,'' Mazzei said as he tried the Margherita (7.90 pounds). ``It's been in the oven too long. It's a good-quality pizza but it's too heavy and it can't compare with the last one. I'd score it five out of 10.''

Then it was off to Spaccanapoli, which has been serving Neapolitan food in Soho for 15 years. The Margherita here is 6.95 pounds, and Mazzei scored it seven out of 10.

``It's a nice crust, real Neapolitan: It's perfectly cooked, the topping is good and you can see the mozzarella is `filante,''' he said, using the Italian word that describes the elasticity a pizza cheese should possess. ``I'm happy with the look and the taste of this pizza, but Franco Manca blew my mind.''

We ended up at Princi, an Italian bakery that restaurateur Alan Yau has opened on nearby Wardour Street. Rocco Princi himself baked us pizza. I won't quote Mazzei's opinion because he's a consultant to Princi, but I can tell you it's hard to beat the pleasure of consuming a well-made pizza right after you watch it being pulled out of a roaring wood-fired oven.

Hard to beat but not impossible: Franco Manca seized the day.

Franco Manca, Unit 4, Market Row, Brixton, London, SW9 8LD. Tel. +44-20-7338-3021. Wild Caper, 11a-13 Market Row, SW9 8LB. Tel. +44-20-7737-4410. Firezza, 12 All Saints Road, Notting Hill, W11 1HH. Tel. +44-20-7221-0020 or click on http://www.firezza.com/new/index.php. Spaccanapoli, 101 Dean Street, W1D 3TG. Tel. +44-20-7437-9440 or click on http://www.spaccanapoli.co.uk/. Princi, 135 Wardour Street, W1F 0UT. Or click on http://www.princi.co.uk/.

(Richard Vines is the chief food critic for Bloomberg News. Opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer on the story: Richard Vines in London at rvines@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 13, 2008 20:09 EST