Pigging out with fellow foodies at Pizza Espresso

Hungry little food bloggers came to town, devoured most of the dough

Details: Pizza Espresso, 17 Macedon Road Lower Templestowe VIC phone: 03 9852 2333

Big props go out to fellow bloggers Michele and Rilsta for organising this pig out. Was also great to catch up with other foodies Penny, Sarah, Nicole and Kat .

The beauty of eating out with fellow foodies is that no one holds back their inner pig. It’s what we were all born with so it’s only natural that it be expressed. Not to mention the benefits of taking as many photos as you wish without shame being brought down upon your friends or partners. Do ya feel me?

oooh…our Prosciutto Crudo pizza is born!

After waiting outside in the freezing cold for our table to be prepared, we entered the fiery warmth of the pizzeria. Although Pizza Expresso is smaller than I’d imagined and that fact that we’d taken up nearly half the room, it was cosy.

Of course, we were eager to try out all items on the menu. After much deliberation, we had pretty much decided. That is, until the waiter came around and read out the specials. This put a spanner in works as we all hilariously exchanged the pros and cons of the chosen meals. I’m all for sharing, so at my far end of the table, Penny, Mr Penny*, Nicole and I decided we get a duo of pizzas, pastas and desserts. It was the best possible spread.

Pizza devoured:

Gorgonzola cheese pizza with specks and pear- was the winner thanks to specials of the day. Phew. Initially I was thinking pear? Surprisingly, by golly it worked! What was delish about the dish (rhyme moment) was how the ingredients spoke to each other – the thin cuts of leg ham and gorgonzola cheese combined, created a welcomed subtle salty commotion on the taste buds, concluding with the sweetness of the sliced pear.

Prosciutto Crudo- Generous amounts of prosciutto atop the thin chewy base. It was simple and straight to the point highlighting the main ingredients effectively well. Would also serve as a perfect entrée. I’m a sucker for cured meats.

Above: Melanzane E Basilico: Tomato, Fior Di Latte, Roasted Eggplant and rocket.

Pasta devoured:

Goats’ Cheese Ravioli- Being one of my favourite cheeses, it was imperative that I chose this creamy dish. The ravioli pieces were large in size and catered well between the four of us to get a proper taste.

Gnocchi Napoli – hmm. I was the last to taste this and was wandering why there was still half left. I soon found out. Apparently the expression on face said it all after my first mouth fool. The gnocchi was mushy and seemed undercooked. Quite floury.

Sweet Stuff:

When asking the rest of the peeps what they were having for dessert, I immediately turned to Michele as I knew she was gunning for the Sticky Date Pizza- nodding with a ‘hell yeah!’ grin. Topped  with an abundance of butterscotch sauce and a vanilla cream ball to ensure there wasn’t an overkill. We had no issue finishing this off. Although, Nicole had an interesting story or should I say, confrontation at the ladies toilets prior. I think I shall leave this detail off to gauge your curiosity…

Bring a date here? Can get noisy and the place is not so big, you may get little kids running around.  Definitely family friendly.

Out with friends? Book or else face takeaway.

Service: The staff were friendly and informative. I appreciated the detailed explanation of the specials.

$$$: The bill came to $254 for 13 of us which inc. desserts. Good value. $2 corkage per bottle

Food Rehab Verdict: I had high hopes for this place as it had some hype built up around it. However, I still prefer the amazing pizza and pasta at Rococo. I did leave quite hungry. Although Maccas… yes Maccas was the initial plan, I had ended up making yet another pizza at home from the last leg of peperoni. It was still an enjoyable night out though as we talked pets, blogging, culinary experiences, travels and other comical adventures. Cheers to Sarah for sharing her droolworthy biscuits answering my buttery coos.

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