Vacanza Pizzeria
Image: Despite the all-round excellence of Nick Gilbert’s pizzas, I’m going to remember this spot for the ripper Roma Baked Lasagne ($18) and the Tiramisu ($10).
Despite the all-round excellence of Nick Gilbert’s pizzas, I’m going to remember this spot for the ripper Roma Baked Lasagne ($18) and the Tiramisu ($10). You see, I don’t even like tiramisu – or I didn’t – until I tried it here, with real Italian Mascarpone and Single Origin Coffee. And who could forget the lasagne, oozing quality and grain fed Aussie beef? As for the pizzas, well pizza’s all about the dough, and the dough here leaves most pizzerias for dead. Crunchy, chewy, tasty and charred in an Amalfi stone oven – you barely need toppings at all! So you’ll understand why they’ve gone down the sparing Italian route. It works beautifully with both a fiery red Diavola ($19) with fresh chilli, olives and hot Calabrese Salami, and with a pizza bianche called De Matteo ($23) bearing Italian sausage, fior di latte and porcinis. Nick knows his pizza and his wine (he’s from Adelaide, via Italy it seems). His prices make me want to weep – with joy that is! My favourite Aussie Shaw & Smith M3 Chardonnay is just $59! I forced myself to sample a bone-dry Babo Pinot Grigio ($39) instead. It’s a great Italian wine made by an Aussie winemaker – definitely worth a look.
Vacanza Pizzeria
261 Bronte Road, Charing Cross
Ph: (02) 9090 2089 www.vacanzapizzeria.com.au
Pizza/Italian $$
