Peter S.
Yelp
Delicious pizzas and unusually alternative music make the Actress worth seeking out.
The Actress also sells foot-long hot dogs, but it's the pizza that you should be making a beeline for. I don't know what makes it so delicious: it's cooked in a wood-fired stove, it's on a thinnish base, it doesn't have huge amounts of cheese. In short, it does a lot of the right things as far as I'm concerned. But there's something else I can't quite put my finger on. Just order one, and find out for yourself. I've had a few different ones, but for some reason the one that conjures up the most pleasant memories is the oft-slated by pizza purists 'Hawaiian' combo of ham and pineapple. Yum.
The desserts are worth checking out too. Specialist ice-cream is the main dessert available and it's decent. But my favourite and which I haven't been able to stop thinking about, is the full-size dessert calzone they sell: a huge calzone stuffed with baked apples, caramel and marshmellow and dusted with icing sugar. It comes with a pizza cutter and a generous scoop of raspberry ripple. It is, indeed, huge, and comfortably big enough to share. But it doesn't say that on the menu, which means it must just be for one, right?
Another unexpected stand-out in the Actress is the alternative indie and hip-hop soundtrack one tends to be treated to. One reason for this could be that the Actress is a participant in 'Secret DJ', where one can access and add to the playlist (songs playing, played or about to play) via the Secret DJ app on your smartphone. If so, then it appears the residents of East Dulwich like their hip-hop and alternative music, for whilst enjoying my pizza I was treated to the sounds of Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West and the Gayngs. Unusual to say the least and really welcome.
It's the beer that rather surprisingly holds this place back. 4-5 years ago the selection here - standard lagers plus a couple of ales and Meantime London Lager - might have been considered slightly edgy. But the growing craft beer revolution sweeping London's pubs and bars means that today it looks rather conservative. Far better beer - both in quality and choice - can be found at the Draft House on Lordship Lane.
Service is good, the interior with more than a hint of US diner to it, and the crowd a typical East Dulwich cross-section of young professionals and parents.
I'll be returning. My flashbacks of the dessert calzone guarantee that.