A pizza experience – Rome

I was on a countryside tour, sitting in the back of a white Nissan enjoying the views of Frascati, only a short train trip from Rome. Our tour guide Pier was quickly rattling off different historical facts of the area, and like most of my Italian holiday conversations, the topic seamlessly turned to pizza. I first assumed the position of pizza connoisseur, I mean I’ve had my fair share back at home, however Roman pizza was something I quickly realised I knew little about.

Pinsere

Ham and artichoke

We took our ‘pinse’ to the Borghese gardens for lunch

Rome might be a city bursting at the seams with tourists and historical sites however if you know where to look you can easily find some hidden treasures of your own. To start with you need to stop looking for pizza that resembles moon hitting your eye and start looking for ovals and rectangles. Oval shaped pizza is called a ‘pinsa’, coming from the Latin word ‘pinsere’ meaning to stretch out. It was originally made during the Roman Empire and can be found today at a gem among the rough, Pinsere, on Via Flavia, 98 – you won’t miss it, it’s always full of Italians filling up for lunch. The ‘pinse’ are lined up behind the glass and cooked in the oven once purchased. They come out light, crispy and delicious. I would recommend one but it’s too hard to pick, I enjoyed them all, just be prepared to stand because there is no seating room!

La Renella

Metres of focaccia and pizza lined up behind glass windows is common in Rome, you pick out your flavour, size and pay by weight. One I highly recommend for a high quality, cheap lunch is across the river at La Renella Forno Antico Trastevere on Via del Moro, 15. These rectangular pieces of pizza might not resemble anything fancy at first but once you’ve tried their soft dough you’ll know what the fuss is about. I recommend the anchovy and zucchini flower pizza or the vegetable pizza.

Forno Roscioli

Finally, another by the slice pizza I recommend is at the very famous Forno Roscioli in the heart of Rome. This place needs no introduction but deserves all the praise it gets. I recommend a slice of their mozzarella and cherry tomato pizza. Unlike the other two, this pizza has a thicker dough, perhaps more like a focaccia, however it is incredibly light and fluffy. While at Roscioli don’t forget to pick up some of their other goodies or try out some of their other locations, their pasticceria has some gorgeous goodies that are worth a look and only a short walk from their bakery.

A Forno Roscioli classic!

Don’t forget to grab some goodies from the pasticceria

Breaking the Cycle

The weekly shop usually takes place at a big supermarket, with bright, artificial colours and regimented aisles. However, the rise of the farmers’ market is beginning to break that cycle.

Alphington Farmers’ Market takes places every Sunday morning and is aiming to break the chain of supermarket supremacy. It does this by turning the urban space opposite Alphington station into a little country escape between 9:00am and 1:00pm.

The market prides itself on “establishing a local food system”, in support of Victorian farmers and food businesses. They are currently transforming the space into the Alphington Community Food Hub, supported by an Innovation Grant from the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation in 2018.

Entrance sign to Alphington Farmers’ Market

Local produce is showcased along the perimeter of this market, dotted with stalls selling artisan goods.

Lockton Farm Gourmet is a family gourmet sausage business that often attends the market. The stall was manned by Brendan, who was intent on making sure his customers had the opportunity to taste his variety of sausages.

“Mangia, mangia,” he said.

Similarly, on the first, fourth and fifth Sunday of the month you can find another artisan business, Elwood Sourdough. This Victorian stockist has a selection of sourdough breads, specialising in the ‘Hiking Loaf,’ perfect for campers and adventure seekers. Their sourdough was generously sliced for tasting with lashings of butter and fig jam.

Free taste testers are no longer the norm in shopping centres and markets. Instead, at the Alphington Farmers’ Market you can expect to have stall holders that stand proudly behind their product and encourage you to keep tasting more. This pride is recognised by the market’s accreditation as part of the Victorian Farmers’ Markets Association.

As an accredited market, locals can be assured that they are buying from producers that grow, rear, catch or process their own products. The accreditation also assures that the producers have intimate knowledge of the products they are selling. A full list of accredited markets across Victoria can be found on their website.

Quincey Jones Jelly proudly serving their produce.

Among the artisan produce there are also many fruit and vegetable vendors. These stalls advocate for their organic produce, focussing on soil biology and no tillage. According to no till expert, Tobin No Till, the method of no tilling aims to obtain the best sustainable return possible from the soil.

“No till is all about creating an environment for the proliferation and health of the natural microorganisms.”

It wouldn’t be a Melbourne market without good coffee and Streat Coffee and Bakery lived up to that expectation. However, Streat is more than just good coffee, it is also a thriving social enterprise, focussing on sustainability and youth homelessness.

According to a Streat Twitter post, “two in every five homeless people are under the age of 25.”

In order to tackle youth issues, Streat have a range of youth programs including vocational training and work experience.

Their dedication to sustainability is made clear when you receive your coffee in a reusable coffee cup, labelled Melbourne Farmers Markets. After drinking your barista made cup of coffee you head over to the wash station to clean out your cup so it’s ready for the next person to use.

The Alphington Farmers’ Market is making strides to connect the local community to local produce and as the Alphington Community Food Hub takes off, it’s reach will continue to grow.

: Cappuccino and croissant from Streat.

Acai Brothers Camberwell

This week I drove down to Burke Road Camberwell for a visit to the insta famous Acai Brothers Camberwell. It is situated a short walk from Camberwell station on the corner of the very popular Burke Road. As a person with a love for REAL ice cream and REAL chocolatey snacks, I entered Acai Brothers with one key preconceived idea: it would all taste too healthy.

So with that I entered the small store and peered up at the chalk board style menu, with absolutely no idea what to order, so here is the low down on the full experience.

Step 1: Choosing a bowl

There are plenty of options at Acai Brothers, from simple bowls, to full blown artistic extravaganzas and waffles, with plenty of smoothies in between. The basic bowls come with a flavoured base and fruit toppings while the specialty bowls feature a few more bells and whistles. I opted for a specialty bowl in the spirit of ‘go big or go home’. I went for Ain’t Nothin Butter, that had a chocolate and peanut butter style base with yoghurt and sauce (acai, banana, raw peanut butter, pB sauce, cacao, cacao nibs, coconut yoghurt and choc buckini) and was topped with my three fruits of choice: peach, banana and strawberry.

Step 2: Eating your bowl

All of my ‘this is going to be too healthy and not taste good’ expectations were well and truly surpassed by this delicious bowl. The coconut yoghurt has a texture that reminded me of whipped cream and the buckini were super crunchy, however it was the acai base that was by far the stand out. The fruity acai bowls have a slightly more icy texture than the chocolate/peanut butter bases which I found were more creamy.

Step 3: Realising they have other healthy treats and then buying some

Make sure you check out their range of cakes and cake style treats before you head off to explore the rest of Burke Road. A lot of their cakes mimic branded snacks like Maxibon ice creams and Nutella treats. I opted for the Nutella bar that was extremely gorgeous, coated in a glimmering dark chocolate. While it was quite bitter (what did I expect from healthy Nutella bar…) I still enjoyed the flavour and felt incredibly full after eating the whole thing.

Top 3 Cafes in Banyule

Banyule is quickly becoming a hub for iced lattes, smashed avocado and stacked hotcakes and it can be difficult picking the best of the bunch. As a local I have tried my fair share of Banyule cafes, from the eateries lining busy Burgundy street to the more secluded cafes in Rosanna. While I am yet to turn away from any in disappointment, I have found myself particularly enjoying these three…

The Alleyway, 138 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg The aptly named Alleyway café sits next to the Cartmell Street Walkway mural that can be seen from its windows. The mural depicts the 1904 car trial which tested the ability of cars to climb Heidelberg Hill. The Alleyway serves modern brunch and lunch style foods in a cosy, small space. Upon my multiple visits I have ordered the triple stack buttermilk pancakes, chilli scramble, mango and passionfruit smoothie and ricotta hotcakes. Of these I highly recommend the chilli scramble that is served with smashed avocado and jalapeno relish. The mango and passionfruit smoothie has also been a fan favourite amongst my friends and I, served in a tall glass in the shape of a skull.
Hunter Lane, 76 Turnham Avenue, Rosanna Perfectly positioned just a few metres from Rosanna station, Hunter Lane is the perfect brunch spot! This café features modern dishes reminiscent of fancy café dreams. From big breakfasts with halloumi and potato croquettes to waffles with chocolate sauce, chocolate soil and orange caviar. I am always delighted by the quick, friendly service at this cafe, and the beautiful array of take home cakes and croissants at the front counter. As a word of warning, Hunter Lane can get very busy so be sure to get in early to beat the crowd.
Miss Marie, 45 Beetham Parade, Rosanna This place absolutely takes the cake for their perfect coffee and beautiful dishes. Tucked away behind the hustle and bustle of Rosanna station, Miss Marie offers a range of gourmet brunch dishes. I highly recommend the strawberries and cream pancakes and smashed pumpkin, a perfect alternative to the very popular smashed avocado (by the same token though, the smashed avo here is delicious and comes with a very generous portion of avocado). The interior can get very loud and noisy however there is outdoor seating and a wonderful relaxed vibe throughout.