Two weeks in a row? Am I going soft or something? Last week Dax got my first ever five-star review and this week it's the turn of the Don Mimi pizzeria in Dun Laoghaire to take a bow. Make a note of it; there probably won't be another for six months at least.

"Staying in is the new going out," according to the chief executive of Four Star Pizza, as he announced the creation of 200 new jobs in the expanding Irish pizza franchise. Domino's is hiring too and business at McDonald's is booming. Fast food does well in a recession, although for most people over the age of consent, the prospect of a delivery of pizza on a Friday night comes a poor second to a meal out in a restaurant. Too greasy, too downmarket, too depressing.

Until the arrival of Don Mimi, that is – an authentic new deli and pizzeria that opened a couple of weeks back next door to the Purty Kitchen in Old Dunleary. Never mind four star, now lucky locals who fancy an evening at home with their mates without the hassle of cooking can pick up the phone for stylish five-star pizza made from scratch by proper Italians.

The premises of Don Mimi – named for owner Paolo Marinuzzi's late grandfather, Domenico, whose portrait hangs in pride of place in the restaurant – may be modest, but the food is definitely something to write home about. There are a few tables inside and the menu offers stuffed focaccias, homemade lasagne and cannelloni, an array of proper Italian deli staples – Paolo grills courgettes and aubergines and roasts peppers fresh each day, and there are also artichokes, olives, tomatoes and daily specials. The other day there was an antipasti salad of garlic, strawberry and apple marinated with vinegar and olive oil (I didn't try it but the reports were good) and a carpaccio of parma ham with lemon, olive oil and pear. The friend who tipped me off to Don Mimi's told me to ask for the cheese with pear – made by Paolo's Mama back home in Lombardy. It's a piquant, crumbly white cows' milk cheese that is utterly delicious. There's a truffle version too, and it's quite something.

I suppose you wouldn't expect anything less from a man whose foodie heritage reads: Mama from Naples, Papa from Sorrento. Paolo used to work in the Purty next door and before that in Ragazzi in Dalkey so he has already earned his Dun Laoghaire Rathdown stripes. There are many loyal fans.

On a miserable night we ordered from a selection of 12" pizzas priced between €8 and €12. Pizza is also sold by the slice. (Don Mimi's will be mobbed in the summer by all the kids taking sailing courses at the INSS who until now have had to make do with the limited food offering at the petrol station a couple of doors away.)

We tried the caprese (fresh buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomato and fresh basil) (€10), the four cheese (asiago, mozzarella, Italian blue cheese and parmesan, served with or without tomato) (€10) and the all-singing all-dancing Don MiMi (tomato, mozzarella, rocket salad, parma ham, shaved parmesan and fresh cherry tomato) (€12). Each was impeccable – thin crispy crusts, generous toppings, well-judged combinations. Simple food, done exceptionally well.

Pizzas for six came to €64, to which we added €5 for delivery. We found out subsequently that Paolo makes a tiramisu from scratch every day. Unsurprisingly, it sells out.

Don Mimi is open seven days a week for lunch (10 till three) and dinner (six till 10).

Don Mimi

5 Old Dun Laoghaire Road,

Monkstown, Co. Dublin.

Tel: 01 230 0992

Rating: 5/5