400 Gradi Essendon

Disclosure: I was invited to dine as a guest of the restaurant 

I’m always reluctant to use the word ‘best’, especially when it comes to food. Perhaps it’s partially because I don’t have the confidence to claim I have enough knowledge about any one food in particular to lay that claim; but also, food is such a subjective thing as well. 

But when other people have the claim to fame, given to them by a third party authority, I’m always keen to suss it out and see what the fuss is all about.

Despite 400 Gradi, Johnny di Francesco’s (world pizza champion) restaurants being open for a while, I had never made my way over to see what all the fuss was about, but when I was invited to check out the new store in Essendon, I was definitely keen. Was it really the best pizza in Melbourne? 

The new store is located under a new residential development, and using the expertise of executive chef Harry who joined the 400 Gradi group shortly before the Essendon store opened, not only has a focus on pizzas (obviously), but also slow cooked meats, pastas and even a gelati bar (called Zero Gradi appropriately enough) that will be getting it’s own stall/kiosk in the near future as well.

Brad and I started with the calamari fritti, dusted in semolina and fried, which were lovely and light, very tender too. The caprese salad, with the addition of capers and olives, was both refreshing and delightfully savoury too. I loved the thick generous cuts of tomato; it’s definitely not a delicate little dish! 

I loved the big, pillowy and fluffy gnocchi, exactly how you would hope it to be, with generous shavings of taleggio (I think), deliciously buttery sauce and thick balsamic glaze. 

 Most importantly though, how was the pizza? We opted for a less traditional option with pumpkin puree, goat sausage, sausage and a variety of cheeses topping it. Absolutely delicious. The thickness of the base was lovely, thin, but strong enough to support all the toppings and had a nice flavour to it. I loved the use of the pumpkin puree as the sauce and base for the toppings, it was so sweet and so creamy; the natural earthiness of the pumpkin complimenting the richness of the sausages. As mentioned, I’m always a little hesitant to say it, but I dare say this was definitely one of the best pizzas I had come across.

Brad did not that to be fair, we really should have gotten a margherita, or something we could compare directly, but based off what I had, I was pretty impressed! 

To wrap up, I had to make a visit to the gelato bar, where I immediately got a scoop of pistachio, as it’s my go to, if the gelato is good. Safe to say, Zero Gradi’s got the goods. 

My only uncertainty point with 400 Gradi is that it is a little on the more expensive end, as far as pizzas go, with many of the dishes and pizzas being over $20. It would certainly add up by the time you get a couple of dishes. However, I was impressed with the food, especially the pizza, so I would be able to justify it (every now and again). 

400 Gradi Essendon

Shop 1, 110 Keilor Road

Essendon 

 

Frankie Says

Currently I live at home…with no immediate intentions to move out. Perhaps it comes from being in an Asian family, where it’s quite habitual to get multiple generations under one roof. And besides, mum and dad cook so well, why would I go anywhere?

When I eventually get around to moving though, I can only hope to have an eatery like Frankie Says at the base of my building or near my house (I feel like I would end up in an apartment though). 

Opened by Megan Phillies and James Meehan, who you know from Hoy Pinoy and the Meatball Company, Frankie Says is bright and welcoming, with windowed views out to the riverside it’s next to. I particularly love the basket of blankets next to the counter for when winter starts creeping around again. 

Although Frankie Says is open for breakfast and lunch, and therefore can easily be deemed a cafe, there’s an Italian slant to the menu, with antipasto plates to be shared and house-made stone oven pizzas mixed in with truffled eggs and quinoa salads. Something for everything, but overall an approachable and relaxed menu.

I simply adore the crockery, conspiring to steal my chai cup and Brad’s hug mug (although perhaps I shouldn’t broadcast my ideas via Instagram next time, because the staff were on to me!). My chai was lovely and warming, not super spicy, but good tea flavour. 

For brunch, I balanced a little naughty with a little nice. A tri-colour quinoa salad special with roasted veggies, crumbed feta and double roasted chickpeas was so refreshing, but delicious as well. I loved the creamy feta, the crunchy chickpeas (although I would’ve loved more of them) and the sweet vegetables. My kind of salad. 

With this, I couldn’t resist a serve of the truffle parmesan fries, which were a seriously generous serve, for $7, I thought it was very reasonable! I couldn’t resist continuously dipping my hand in for the crunchy golden sticks, which smelt like heaven and had just enough cheesy goodness throughout. Solid.

Brad’s Swiss brown mushroom pizza with caramelised onion, taleggio and porcini salt was again, another huge serve, with soft and pillowy crusts, soaking up that caramelised onion and taleggio goodness. In Italian style, the toppings are not over complicated, nor overwhelming, resulting in a delicious and well balanced flavour profile.  

An easy spot to spend an afternoon with a book (or Monocle magazine like I had), with friendly and attentive service. I’m hanging out to come back for the Fritto misto, calamari, fresh market fish and prawns dusted with semolina…which you’re supposed to share (minimum order is for 2 people), but I could eat for two…

Frankie Says

15 Acacia Place

Richmond

 

Wilo Pizza

Disclosure: I was invited to dine as a guest of Wilo Pizza

When Brad and I first started dating, pizza was a fortnightly occurrence for us, with regular deliveries from Crust to our door. 

However, as we’ve gotten older, pizza’s come up less in our monthly diet (for a whole range of reasons), so when we do go treat ourselves with some, it’s completely and utterly savoured. 

Especially on this particular night; as I stepped off the train at East Richmond station (I managed to find a train that goes there, amazing!) I realised that I hadn’t really eaten all day, so I was cold, shaking and light headed. My fingernails were turning blue!

Sustenance was needed fast, and fortunately, it was found at Wilo Pizza. 

Opened by brother duo, Ollie and Will, the brightly lit, bright green space is takeaway focussed, with only a couple of counter seats inside the shop, and a couple of outdoor seats. But this doesn’t mean they’ve skimped out on the menu at all. From standard classics, Hawaiian’s and margarita’s, to some pretty crazy meat and seafood combinations, chilli chicken, spiced lamb or maybe some prawn and chorizo? 

I also loved that the regular size pizza is a 10 inches, meaning it’s a perfect sized dinner for one, and a little softer on the wallet, the regular sized standard flavours just $10, and the regular sized meat and seafood options ranging from $13 to $14. 

But what also caught my eye? The sides. Does one get the beef short ribs with sweet tamarind sauce? Or the hot and salty chicken wings? 

After some discussion with Ollie, our meal for the night consisted of a mushroom pizza with creme fraiche, seasonal mushrooms, mixed herbs, truffle oil and fresh mozzarella, a pork belly pizza with chipotle sauce, onion, coriander, salsa picada, tangy mayo, fresh chilli, scratching and fresh mozzarella, as well as a serve of the chicken wings and corn cobs with tangy mayo and pecorino.

Phew. 

Brad said we weren’t going to get through it all.

I told him to watch me. 

And we promptly devoured it all.

The chicken wings were 6 golden and surprisingly meaty pieces of chicken, a lot bigger than I had expected (and such a steal for $7!). These were seasoned well, with a touch of heat, and  were delightfully moreish. If I wasn’t so hungry, these alone would be a pretty damn decent meal. 

The corn cobs were sweet, juicy and generous with the mayo which I’m always okay with. 

For our pizzas, we got one with a gluten free base, and one with a regular base to compare, and both were great, the gluten free base in particular had a super crunchy crust, which I couldn’t get enough of. I liked that it was also sturdy enough to take all the toppings and not get soggy too. 

Both of the pizzas came well dressed, with just a nice balance of enough flavour without being over done (although I could’ve gone for a couple more mushrooms on the mushroom pizza I reckon). 

The pork belly pizza was my favourite of the two that evening, with the pork belly sliced to thin slivers. I particularly loved the addition of chilli, so bright, so fun, so tasty!

I also felt after eating the pizzas that I didn’t feel heavy, they weren’t very oily and all the toppings looked bright and fresh. All good things. 

As winter comes a-knocking, I probably won’t be visiting Wilo Pizza so much in person, but their number is already in my phone, for that once a month pizza session Brad and I still do…

Wilo Pizza

440 Church Street

Richmond 3121

A25 Pizzeria

At A25 Pizzeria, the message is simple.

Pizza is sexy.

Hell yeah it is.

I ended up at A25 with Brad and a bunch of guy friends after a lively afternoon of lawn bowls at the Windsor bowling club, which sounds really lame, but is actually totally fun. We were so lucky to have the most stunning weather for it too!

And when the weather is this stunning, you simply have to sit outside, where it always seems to be shaded, but you get a lovely breeze blowing past regularly. 

You also must simply get a blood orange Italian granita, when you’re not quite in the mood for an alcoholic beverage, which is so refreshing. 

The Roman chips were a good call on my half (don’t trust boys to order all the good stuff), which are essentially freshly fried potato crisps with parmesan shavings and cracked pepper. Kind of wish I had ordered two baskets of these, as these were simply moreish. Just the right amount of cheese, I loved how crispy the potatoes were, but also the fact that there was some body to them, these weren’t razor thin. 

Around the table, the boys tucked in to the Bunga Bunga pizza (awarded best pizza in 2013 at their sister pizzeria NSP), with for di latte, tomato, berkshire sausage, porcini mushrooms and parmesan as well as Man’s Man pizza with for di latte, tomato, leg ham, cacciatore salame, berkshire sausage, scamorza and parmesan. Both were well received and gobbled up in half a minute. 

I had to of course get ‘Sexy Truffle’ with for di latte, white truffle cream, mushrooms, radicchio and parmesan shavings. As the name might suggest, the pizza was delightfully aromatic, and although this could have  been very rich very quickly, the fresh radichio on top cuts through nicely. Really well done gluten free base as well.

Next time, I’ll definitely pick a pizza from the ‘Crazy’ section, with combinations like roasted potato, rosemary, fresh ricotta, raspberries, mint and black sea salt or cream of dates, berkshire sausage, radicchio, pecorino shavings and liquorice dust (which I’ve been told is actually very good). 

To wrap up, a little sweet pizza to share, with nutella, strawberries, coconut snow and mint, with a couple of scoops of ice-cream as well of course! The boys hadn’t been interested in this initially, but once it hit the table, it was gone before I could take a couple of breaths! 

So is pizza at A25 sexy? Yeah you know it is. The vibe is relaxed and easy, the food is hot and saucy, and I honestly love a relatively cheap date…when have you seen gourmet pizzas at around a $15 and under mark recently? Pray tell. 

A25 Pizzeria

720 Chapel Street

South Yarra 3141

Lievita

Disclosure: I was invited to dine as a guest of the restaurant

You just have to adore how multi-cultural Melbourne is sometimes; I mean can you imagine a Melbourne without all the delicious Chinese food we have, the Greek souvlaki’s, and let’s not forget the huge addition Italians have added to our food culture. After all, could you also imagine a Melbourne without coffee? 

Along with coffee, pizza has also taken off in Melbourne, with endless variations of pizza from Naples; thin crust, chains, franchises, one off shops, modern toppings, classic…the list goes on! But have you come across rectangular shaped pizza that originated in Rome before?

Lievita is here to fill a void, that Melbourne didn’t even know it had, with it’s unique approach; style, dough…almost everything! 

Conveniently located right next to a tram stop on High Street in Northcote, Lievita is bright and light, with crisp white tiles, a lovely black and white mural painted onto a brick wall, and a touch of nostalgia with mini road signs from Rome, indicating the heritage of the food. 

It’s a family affair here and a distinctly Italian one too; the founder Luca was inspired and taught in private lessons by Italian pizza chef Gabriele Bonci in Rome, returning to his restaurant in Rome multiple times over three years to train, learn and make damn good pizza. 

Even the pizza chef has been imported from Rome, having only been in Melbourne for a little over three months…and naturally falling in love with our lovely little city (who can blame him!)

So what makes Lievita’s pizza different? Firstly, the shape. It’s in a square. You decide how much you want to eat, and it’s just cut off from the long column, all weighed up and baked again so it’s hot and crisp for you. 

Pizza by the weight. Basically, as much or as little pizza as you want. What? 

I think this is perfect, as I definitely struggle finishing a pizza on my own, and sometimes just want a little…or you could be super hungry and need a lot more pizza than usual. On top of that, instead of just having one flavour, you can have a little bit of everything…just like we did!

And the cost? All this was just a mere $12.50 (or around there). I couldn’t believe it. With many new trendy pizza places pushing closer and closer to $20 for a pizza, I couldn’t help but feel what great value this was. 

The main difference with this pizza though, is the dough. It’s left to rise for much longer than usual, 72 hours in fact! Talk about a sleeping beauty! Due to the longer rising time, and a gentle touch, Luca was taught the less you handled the dough the better, the dough ends up being incredibly light and fluffy. Apparently, this also means it’s healthier and easier to digest, so you don’t end up so bloated afterwards. 

There was only one way to find out!

We got a cross-selection of almost all the pizzas they had on, which included an eggplant and parmesan, potato and ham, potato and sausage, marinara and margherita. 

In a word (although cliche), delicious. 

The dough was definitely very fluffy, but with a delectably crisp crust which made it simply moreish. Flavour-wise, everything hit the mark for me, the marinara in particular was sumptuous, with the rich and sweet San Marzano tomatoes really making their impact. The sausage meat on the sausage and potato pizza was also quite rich in flavour, it was a particular Italian sausage which I didn’t catch the name of, but one I would totally return for. 

 The pizza chef, who’s name was also Luca, stayed classic with the flavours on this particular day, but also told me of some of the more experimental flavours he’s played with in the two week period that Lievita had been open and I certainly look forward to returning and seeing what’s on offer next time.

Oh, and was it easier to digest? Having had a pizza dinner to compare to from about a week ago, I did definitely notice I didn't feel heavy, bloated or weighed down afterwards. No sinking into a carbohydrate coma on this particular Sunday. So, almost guilt free pizza? What are you waiting for?

Lievita 

298 High Street

Northcote 3070