It’s anyone’s guess just how many takeaway pizzas have been ordered during lockdown. It’s also anyone’s guess just how many places in Canberra are dishing up takeaway pizzas. Dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON tests out a couple of those places.
WHEN it comes to pizzas, everyone has their fave style. Skill at making the perfect dough, combined with a quality base and toppings are essential. During lockdown we road tested East Pizza for the first time and Agostinis a second time. Both produce winning pizzas.
East Pizza, Kingston Foreshore, has 20 delish pizzas on its menu. Pizzas are “their thing”. It’s what they do, and they do it exceptionally well.
The Rucola ($22) was a top choice. The tomato had presence, the bocconcini melted beautifully and the pizza was topped with thin shavings of salty prosciutto and perked up with peppery rocket. It was colourful and super tasty.
An all-time, top pick for many is a Capricciosa ($21) and again East Pizza hit the mark. The winning combo of ingredients this time included mozzarella, shaved leg ham, mushrooms and artichokes.
Last, but not least, we dug into the Arrabiata ($22) with a great hit of chilli. It’s a punchy pizza featuring quality calabrese salami for more added spice.
Pizzas are great any time – covid or no covid – but they travel well making them even more attractive during times when we can’t get to restaurants and cafes. There’s something so satisfying and comforting about a great pizza.
Agostinis, in East Hotel, makes its pizzas in a state-of-the-art Marana Forni pizza oven, which doubles as a major interior design feature in the restaurant. Marana Forni has been making pizza ovens since 1992 and it must be doing something right because its ovens are installed in 85 countries around the world.
Four bianca pizzas and 12 rossa pizzas are on Agostinis’ menu.
Once again, we ordered a Rucola, for fun and to compare the pair (with East Pizza that is). We couldn’t choose one over the other. Agostinis’ is created with fabulous Fior di Latte mozzarella, fresh prosciutto and loads of vibrant rocket ($25).
We fell in love with the Boscaiola (a pizza bianca), with scrumptious and slightly spicy Italian pork and fennel sausage, loads of mushrooms and Scamorza, a South Italian cow’s milk cheese ($24). It’s not the last time we will indulge…
An all-time favourite for many pizza lovers is the Napoletana ($23), an anchovy lover’s delight. Other salty ingredients include capers and olives. The fresh basil and Fior di Latte mozzarella rounded matters out to precision.
Both East Pizza and Agostinis create wonderful pizza dough. The crusts are lovely and thin, easy to digest, and slightly crunchy around the edges.
After both takeaway adventures, we fell asleep with pizzas dancing in our heads. Zzzzz…
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