Tag Archives: gourmet pizza

gourmet pizza goodness

After numerous times trying to hit up Supermaxi with fellow food blogger wankster Alex from The MSG, we finally made it. We kept postponing due to forgetting, insomnia, brokearsedness, work – you name it, it happened. In case you’re not aware, The MSG is having a pizza battle and seeing as Supermaxi is sort of out my way, I asked Alex if I could tag along when he was planning to eat there.

Supermaxi interior

You can’t tell from the outside at all what lurks inside North Fitzroy relative newbie Supermaxi – its exterior is modest to say the least, verging on hidden, even. It is easy to get to as it’s located along the 112 tram route that heads to West Preston. Inside, it’s sleek, sterile and spacious (how’s that for alliteration!).

When I arrived, there were some complementary lupini beans for nibbling. Tasty but trickier buggers than edamame. Of course Alex ate them with more grace than I did and I believe they are enjoyed in Arab countries too.

To drink, I chose a beer from a local (Melbourne) brewery – the Hawthorn amber ale. Malty and very sessionable. Sorry the photo is so…flashy. I have since found out that the Hawthorn brewing premises are located in Mildura, near the NSW-Vic state border. Not so local after all…?

Hawthorn amber ale

Alex tried a Kooinda pale ale, also a (physically) Melbourne-based brewery. I think he probably would have enjoyed the amber ale more as the Kooinda can be bitter for those who don’t generally drink beer.

Time for pizza choices. I went with the special offered on the evening which had smoked mozzarella, basil and prosciutto on a tomato base. Cheese, cured meat and a beer. My holy trinity of vices. You could actually taste that the cheese was smoked but the meat detracted from that a little. A nice thin base but a little soggy towards the middle. I think I might have liked a little more basil and less prosciutto so that the smoked cheese flavour would linger more. Don’t get me wrong – it was delicious and I finished it.

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Alex chose the Sicilian – a distinctly different pizza from mine – which had tuna, onion, capers, basil, parsley, mozzarella, lemon and chilli and is not tomato-based. I’m pretty opposed to fish on a pizza but I have to concur with Alex – he got the superior pizza. Really bloody good. Wouldn’t mind a tad more chilli on it. Definitely give this pizza a go even if it sounds a bit odd. I’m very glad I got to try it as it’s not something I would have chosen.

The Sicilian - (bianca) tuna, onion, capers, basil, parsley, mozzarella, lemon, chilli

Alex was fancying dessert and even took pity on my Dickensian status to make sure I got some too which was very kind. I selected the chocolate pannacotta with raspberry sauce. I would have preferred the pannacotta to be a tad creamier, but it was otherwise quite good and chocolate always goes well with tart fruit sauces.

chocolate pannacotta with raspberry sauce

Alex went for the fried custard with honey and vanilla ice cream – the texture of the fried custard was trippy! It was like baked cheesecake with a crunchy crust.

fried custard with honey served with vanilla ice cream

Definitely a solid gourmet pizza experience to be had here but there are certain…idiosyncrasies in the service. Initially when one of us waved over a waitress, she told us that she could not take our order because we were not sitting in her section. Um, what? Oooookay. If you want to stick to that ‘rule’ and make your establishment look difficult, then fine: just remember that not all diners are going to be so forgiving. Our main waitress who was allocated to service our area did an excellent job and chatted a little about the local beers on offer, making a point of mentioning that Kooinda was a Melbourne-based brewery. Is beer’s profile as a drink to have alongside dining rising? One can hope…

If you want to see how Alex has got on with the MSG’s epic pizza battle (seriously, these food blogger wanksters have it hard! They eat and eat and eat and eat just so they can tell you where all the cool places are! *wink*) here’s the link to heat one.

Supermaxi on Urbanspoon

more gourmet pizza goodness

Crust 'Fromage' pizza

(RIP Fromage pizza)

I’m a little on the Dickensian side of things, so I’ll be going back on previous eats of a less glamorous nature and reviewing them. I even hope to pull out some old cookbooks and review them like I would books (which is what I do on my personal blog). This could be great fun if I manage to find some of my mother’s old cookbooks!

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Crust Pizza. When I first heard about them, I didn’t think they’d be that good, truly. I was sorely mistaken. I’ve reviewed one other before on this blog to attest to my enjoyment of them. I’m expecting any minute now for the gourmet pizza bar to be the subject matter of a blog post on Things Bogans Like and for a lecture on how the bogan cannot appreciate true haute cuisine and thus finds the non-threatening gourmet pizza its closest match. I don’t consider myself particularly bogan (though perhaps my closest friends might contest this), but I’m a little hooked on Crust’s pizzas. Great, now you all know I’m a bogan. Just give me some warning before you come round to mine so I can hide the slab of VB and Carlton Cold. Hey, I might even get the goon out – just for you.

A few weeks ago on a whim, I decided to call up my mate Colin and ask him if he fancied a few slices of Crust. Tris came along and we three shared two pizzas – the garlic prawn one, and one of the newer upper crust ones, the Peking duck. I’m a bit put out by the Peking duck because it replaced my beloved Fromage (see above). I really should know by now – I always think “nah, this flavour can’t possibly work, they’ll stuff up” but they never do. The Peking duck pizza was the perfect balance of duck meat, hoisin and bok choy – so not traditional per se, but a great translation to pizza.

Crust Peking duck pizza

After seeing Tris and Colin nearly kill themselves on chilli sauce at Mamasita, no way was I game to bite into the single chilli that adorned the pizza, no matter how enticing it looked.

The garlic prawn pizza is less confronting. The prawns are so damn juicy. I nearly forgot to squeeze the lemon wedge on them, oops!

Crust garlic prawn pizza

By the end of the evening, Colin was a convert.

On a more recent occasion, I tried my gourmet pizza conversion skills on Mum. Dad had been away for a few weeks and Mum had been subject to my cooking for a few days in a row (that which I would wish upon no one. Well, maybe not till I get a bit better…). I suggested one evening we share two pizzas and I promised I would pick ones that weren’t too…quirky. I figured it’d be safe to go with one seafood and one meat. I went with the smoked salmon one, and the prosciutto one.

I think you are probably all aware of my prosciutto adoration, but even this looked pretty plain. Can you even see the prosciutto? I can’t! However, I wasn’t let down – the meat, cheese and dough base ratios were just right. If I couldn’t decide what to get, this would most likely be my default pizza.

Crust prosciutto pizza

Mum really loves her seafood, and on Fridays, doesn’t eat meat as is the practice among old-school Catholics. She said she’d prefer to order the smoked salmon pizza instead of Friday fish and chips. If you look carefully, there is a liberal amount of Spanish (red) onion, and capers! Mmm. None of us felt we needed to use the condiments supplied.

Crust smoked salmon pizza

The nearest locations to where I live are on Smith Street in Fitzroy, and in Doncaster. I’ve heard that one will be opening soon a little nearer in Ivanhoe (20 minutes’ drive from me, as opposed to 30 like Fitzroy and Doncaster) – I sure hope so as it’s a bit of a shame to drive home and have lukewarm pizza, sob.

I told you I would go through their entire menu. Am getting there…

Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar on Urbanspoon

15 inches of meaty sex

Okay, okay, I might have come up with the post title for titillation. To be honest, the pizza wasn’t all that meaty either. I am deceitful in my artistic licence. But, it definitely was sexy and indeed fifteen inches.

I wrote before about my quest for a gourmet pizza from a chain that’s graced Melbourne. A few nights ago, after returning from the seaside, the quest was successful!

Crust Pizza’s menu is impressive. They have very few ‘standard’ pizzas, and the rest are out-of-the-ordinary creations. Of course I had my heart on a fancy-pants one, and fancy-pants one I got.

The one I settled on was the ‘White Prosciutto’ one, which apparently has won some sort of ‘Best Use of Cheese Award’. It’s a rectangular ‘uppercrust’ one gently coated in white bechamel, then carefully topped with thinly sliced potatoes and prosciutto that goes all crisp from being cooked. It smells delicious because it also has rosemary sprinkled atop it.

Crust Pizza's 'white prosciutto' pizza

The surprise is naturally in the eating – every now and then you bite into it and are greeted with hidden amounts of gorgonzola that are just divine – not too much, and definitely not enough to make the pizza (or you!) smelly. It’s also quite thin, so those of you who like your thick bases might need to be mindful. I personally love the thin base as I don’t have to worry about everything toppling off and making a damned mess! It’s also a good size for sharing if your appetite isn’t ravenous.

I was sceptical about potatoes on a pizza, but am now a convert. Definitely can’t wait to try more on the Crust menu. Especially the cheese pizza, the calzones, the philly steak pizza… yeah, you get the idea.

Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar on Urbanspoon