The Basil Club opens serving Italian food in Norwich cafe

Matt Harris, 28, and his partner Gigi Frost, 26, are the team behind the Basil Club, an Italian pop-up that launched in NR3.

The Urban Lounge in Magdalen Road will host the couple on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for the next six months.

The pop-up served its first customers last week.

From left: Matt, Anastasiia Tkach and Uma Weston, who work at The Basil Club, and Gigi (Image: Matt Harris) Matt said: "It went well.

"We had a few uncontrollable hiccups but we were really pleased to have so many friends from the industry pop in for a bite.

"We are really confident in our food and can't wait for more people to find us."

The Urban Lounge is now opening on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings (Image: Newsquest) The Basil Club serves a range of classic Neapolitan pizzas with a twist, including an "upside-down Margherita" which has basil sauce on the pizza base, is topped with mozzarella and then served with confit tomatoes on the top. 

Matt and Gigi met while working for a pizza van company and both dreamed of opening their own business one day. 

While Matt has worked in several pizzerias, Gigi moved to Norwich from Scotland at the age of 17 to work in restaurants around the city. 

The company sells a range of Neapolitan-style pizzas (Image: The Basil Club) Matt said: "This has been a long-time dream of ours and it is exciting that it has become a reality. 

"We came up with the idea of doing something like this three years ago, but it has taken the last year and a half to get things up and running."

The couple has worked hard to source sustainable and local ingredients as they work to showcase the produce of UK farmers.

Diners can also choose from a range of dessert options (Image: The Basil Club) There are a range of sides on offer too (Image: The Basil Club) Gigi added: "Using the best ingredients elevates the experience.

"We have made a real effort to stand out and use local and great quality products.

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"We make all of our own pizza dough and our menu has a range of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options so we can be flexible for our customers."

The restaurant also serves beer from the nearby Redwell Brewery for diners to enjoy.

The Basil Club will be open from 5pm until 9pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and will also be available to order on Deliveroo soon.