“We cheerfully asked if we could order a half-and-half pizza. We weren’t concerned about asking because the place was virtually empty. The answer? A flat ‘no’,” writes dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON

IT’S often fun to be spontaneous about where you dine. You never know what to expect.

The two of us were peckish and relatively close to Jerrabomberra. We had heard about pizzas at Suppeto Collective and thought: “Why not?”

To say that the interior is eclectic is an understatement. One wall is plastered with pop-art-type posters, a statement for sure. The “living room” area features a bookshelf, plants and a corner chair. Some plain black chairs sit at white tables. Some coloured tables are scattered about the place. You get the drill.

All pizzas are 13 inches (11-inch, gluten-free bases are $5 extra). The traditional Margherita is $17 and from there pizzas run up to $24 for the Meat Lovers. All up, Suppeto has 10 varieties, including a vegetarian with roasted capsicum, eggplant and zucchini.

We chose the Diavola ($21) and the Napoletana ($20), but thankfully did a reality check on the size of the pizzas when we ordered and paid at the cash register. A 13-inch each was going to be too big for the size of our stomachs so we cheerfully asked if we could order a half-and-half. We weren’t concerned about asking because the place was virtually empty.

The answer? A flat “no”.

We thought of leaving but it was later in the afternoon, so we sighed and ordered the Diavola. We wondered why there was so little flexibility, but no explanation was forthcoming so we decided a simple leaf salad would be nice to complement our meal. No such salad on the menu. Only a Caesar for $16 or a Greek for $15. We just moved on and stuck with just the pizza.

When our darling Diavola arrived, it was piping hot with dough that wasn’t too thick or too thin and it was packed with flavour and plenty of ingredients.

The tomato base was rich, the fior di latte (cheese) delicious, the hot salami had a great kick, the red peppers were sweet and we appreciated the chilli flakes for that extra burst.

Not disappointing, but it really, really made us wish we would have been allowed to also road test that Napoletana.

Other menu items include what you’d expect for a casual, family-style eatery, such as burgers, steak sandwich, fish and chips and nachos (average price around $16). The menu for kids (all meals $10 includes spag bol and chicken nuggets and chips).

Suppeto Collective is fully licensed. The bar is on the same side of the room as the open-concept kitchen and cash area, but in a separate location. You order and pay for your drinks at the bar.

We left happy with the pizza but baffled with the flat “no”. How hard is it we wondered? Obviously, very hard.

Suppeto Collective, 37 Jerrabomberra Parkway.