[content_slider]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[content_slide]
[/content_slide]
[/content_slider]
MELBOURNE | Piccolino is a small pizzeria in Fitzroy North that’s recently reopened after undergoing renovations. The City Lane was recently invited to take a look at the revamped space and try some of the updated menu items. The space is small and cosy, open to the kitchen with a bright, playful colour scheme and a mural along one side. It works well with owner Anthony LoPiccolo’s philosophy of not trying to reinvent the wheel, serving up simple, tasty food in a space that’s welcoming to locals and anyone else who pops in.
To that point, the menu features an assortment of simple, produce-driven dishes with a focus on pizza, pasta, and gnocchi. Pasta and gnocchi are made on site, with the exact menu options depending on what’s fresh and looking good at the markets on a given day. The pizza menu, which makes up a good half of the menu, features favourites and a few unique options. They’re all made using Piccolino’s new wood fired oven.
Starters on the night I visited were antipasti, suppli della settimana (essentially Roman arancini), and torta al testo (a type of filled Umbrian flat bread, inspired by head chef Andrea Fioriti’s hometown, Perugia). The suppli used lemon butter to accompany the rice filling, and were served with a tomato relish. Alone they were lacking a certain something, that something being the tomato relish. Together, it worked well. The torta al testo were tasty and quite dense and bready. A great bar snack but perhaps one you might want to avoid if you’ve got pizza on the way.
Pizza was fantastic. The quality of the ingredients shone though with each bite, and there was a nice ratio of ingredients to base. The classic margherita really hit the spot, as did the mushroom, mozzarella, rocket, truffle, pecorino, and basil pizza. The picante – napoli, mozzarella, nduja, olives, fresh chilli, and basil was also great. Worth noting is that these aren’t your traditional Neapolitan style bases. A touch thicker, they’ve got a nice spring to them and just the right amount of char. Definite influences of the head pizza maker’s time spent making pizza in New York City.
For drinks it’s an assortment of Italian and local beer, spirits and cocktails. Think Aperol Spritz and TAP wines, Campari, and Amaro Montenegro.
Piccolino
148 Scotchmer Street
Fitzroy North
Victoria 3068
Australia
Telephone: (03) 9041 0809
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Sun, Tue – Thu: 5:30pm to 9:00pm
Fri – Sat: 5:30am to 11:00pm