For some time now I've known that Top Joe's turns out extraordinarily tasty pizzas from either its Tenby or Narberth restaurants in Pembrokeshire. But maybe I'd got complacent or taken for granted just how good they were because even I was surprised to hear that Giovanni Recchia, the pizza chef at Top Joe's in Narberth, was recently recognised as one of the best in the world at the Pizza World Championships in Rimini, Italy - otherwise known as Campionato del Mondo di Pizza.
Full disclosure here: I live in Narberth and am a regular at Top Joe's because it has a rather decent wine list. Or rather, I enjoy the selection of reds on offer, particularly when I bag a comfy armchair in the window next to the log fire. It's a fun place to sit and people watch as pizzas are brought out with a flourish from the kitchen at the back, a hint of garlic and charcoal in the air, and people of all ages tuck in. I love my home town, which as it happens is one of the trendiest places to live in Wales. I could wax lyrical about the pretty high street, the independent gift, jewellery, antique, and butcher shops, the quirky cafes and the unchained bars, but my colleague has beaten me to it.
Instead I am here to effuse about Top Joe's. Offering relaxed and informal dining, it somehow manages to make you feel like you're somewhere more posh than a pizzeria, perhaps in part because of the generously proportioned restaurant and its dark colours and low-level lighting.
