The Stable pizza coming to Deptford

As the final completion of the Deptford Project carriage ramp drags on, slowed down by Bower Contracting going bust and the carriage ramp planters and paving having to be dug up to address problems with leaks in the new shop units, there's at least some indication that it's going to be worth the wait when it does come.

West Country-based pizza chain The Stable is set to open a restaurant in the new unit at the back of St Paul's House and I am not going to hide the fact that I'm bloody delighted.

I used to love the Big Red pizzas and was gutted when Deptford's only pizza place went down the pan last year. There's a new restaurant there now - Wanderlust - which has a rather different food offering and adds to the choices available in Deptford but I've been missing having somewhere close-at-hand for a regular pizza binge.

The Yellow House in Surrey Quays serves delicious (and humongous) pizzas but it's not quite close enough for a weekly trip and in any case I always behave like such a glutton when I'm there that I have to limit my visits; the refurbished Black Horse pub has good quality pizzas courtesy of Sourdough Saloon but I have a massive issue with the fact that they are served in takeaway boxes, making it a very wasteful option (and it's a shame because the pub's beer is consistently good); there's pizzas available in New Cross at both the Rose and the New Cross House (be warned - at the latter you'll be expected to order pizzas with names like Don't Go Bacon My Heart); and there are several options in Greenwich ranging from long-time staples Pizza Express through the mini-chain Bianco43 to the downright bizarre 'museum pub' the Prince of Greenwich.

I don't mind admitting I've tried them all (except the Rose - no particular reason, probably need to address that in the immediate future!) and while there are some good options, there's always room for another pizza restaurant, especially one that's practically on my doorstep!

So what can we expect from The Stable when it opens?

According to their website, they don't have a standard menu, each restaurant has its own variation 'depending on ingredients available locally' but it's mostly built around pizzas (including vegan and gluten-free options), pies and salads. There's not much you can't get within a short distance from here so it will be interesting to see what options they are offering. Being from the West Country they are also big on cider; hopefully not to the exclusion of other traditional English brews....

They already have a restaurant in Whitechapel, where pizzas range from £8.50 to £13.50 but they do a special £10 meal on Tuesday nights, and you can have a pie for under a tenner too. Many of the ingredients on their Whitechapel menu seem to come from Dorset in any case, so I suspect we'll be getting a very similar offering.

My mouth is watering at the idea of curried goat pie, and pizzas featuring crab and smoked mackerel pizza. I suspect I'll be a mass of indecision on my first visit.