PIZZA and prosecco – what’s not to love?

The bottomless brunch has grown in popularity with everything from pancakes and sandwiches to eggs Benedict.

One of the newest additions to the scene is the pizza and prosecco brunch on offer at Mamma Lina’s in Rogerstone.

The family-owned business is run by Gianluca Pandolfi, 45, and his cousin Massimo Intrigila, 48, and is named after Mr Intrigila’s mother.

The traditional ‘pizza al metro’ is a metre long pizza which is traditionally shared by friends and families in Italy when they meet in ristorantes and trattorie during the day.

At the Rogerstone restaurant, customers can order multiple toppings for the pizza which is hand made in the restaurant including the all-important spinning in the air.

Mr Pandolfi said: “Lots of people are doing prosecco lunch and brunch and we started doing the metre pizza. It’s part of the culture in Italy and everyone can have a slice and eat together from the from place. We decided to combine the pizza and prosecco.”

Mr Pandolfi moved to Wales in 1997 from Capri, an island in Italy’s Bay of Naples, while Mr Intrigila has lived here for more than 30 years.

“Wales was completely different than what it looks like now,” Mr Pandolfi said. “The knowledge about food is much better and we have tried to help people understand our culture.

“The business is family orientated. It’s not just about coming to eat we welcome everyone and get the children involved, they sit and eat with and not just watching TV. People also come for entertainment or we have a private room upstairs.”

The staff at the restaurant come from south Italy – Sicily, Naples, Calabria and Sardinia, so know what they’re talking about when it comes to Italian food.

The main attraction is the personalised pizza oven which was handmade in Italy and shipped over to Newport. They had to knock down part of the kitchen to get it in but it is a permanent fixture in the restaurant.

The pizza oven certainly add something special to the pizza. Not like much of the fare on offer in most take-aways, the pizza is light and tasty but is enough to fill you up.

The brunch includes a metre long pizza, for four, or half metre pizza for two with your chosen toppings, and bottomless Prosecco top-ups.

We opted for a combination of toppings, one part chicken and peppers, one part with Italian sausage and one part margherita – each one tasty, fresh and incredibly moreish.

So what makes the perfect pizza? “Heart,” Mr Pandolfi said. “Our food is searched with heart. You need to have passion, and the ingredients come after.”

To reserve a table or for more information on availability call Mamma Lina’s on 01633 894555 or email info@mammalinas.co.uk.