Da Vinci’s

Da Vinci’s

With the upsurge of enthusiasm for pizza certified Napoli, it’s easy to lose sight of pizza styles popular across the rest of Italy. Add that Nicola Piteo slid his restaurant into an existing Italian spot, keeping the original name, and you get some idea of how his outstanding pizza has largely flown under the radar. The bases are crafted using unrefined, stone-ground Petra 1 flour, and a dough maturation process that takes 48-72 hours. The resulting pizzas are crisper, without being dry. Each slice can be held between thumb and forefinger, providing the perfect base to explore high quality toppings, like Norma ($19) featuring fior de latte, deep fried (well-drained) eggplant pieces and shaved salted ricotta accentuated by fresh basil. I’m even more impressed with Ortaggina ($23), which takes cleverly salted vegetables – eggplant, zucchini – teams them with cherry tomatoes, red onion and fire-roasted red capsicum, then dribbles the lot with stracciatella di bufala. That’s the gooey heart of burrata cheese. It’s made freshly in Auburn using imported Italian buffalo milk, and also featured on Nicola’s killer antipasti plate – Montagna ($28), against a great collection of Italian salumi (mortadella and speck being standouts). Drink wine from Nicola’s home city – Il Conte Pecorino DOCG ($35/bottle) – and end your night with exceptional Orange Yoghurt Gelato ($5/cup).

Da Vinci’s
25 Lackey Street, Summer Hill
Ph: (02) 9716 9000 davincispizzeria.com.au
Italian, Pizza $$

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REVIEW: Karen’s Diner Top Ryde

REVIEW: Karen’s Diner Top Ryde

I am not going to lie, walking into Karen’s Diner, which is reputed to have the worst customer service in the city, can be nerve-wracking. After several minutes of nervous pacing and scrolling through the reservation confirmation with clammy hands, a Karen turned to serve me. Rolling eyes and sass made up most of her demeanour, which finally put me at ease. As I looked around, I realised I was not the only nervous one in the diner. Many of  customers were similarly hesitant to order their food, all of whom were understandably unwilling to invoke the Karens’ wrath but equally keen to experience what this place was all about.

An evening at Karen’s Diner was a fun experience indeed. From aggressive pushes of food on the table to constant f-bombs and booing at customers, Karen’s Diner was a vibe.

The diner decorations were also quite beautiful. Seated at a high-top table with a table full of has-beens next to a comic plastered wall we watched the customers heading out to play the Wheel of Misfortune. Misfortunes that could land you anywhere between model walks to the not-so-fun spicy shots.

I ate a meal called the “Royale Karen” alongside sips of a cocktail called the “Sour Karen” – listening to Good Golly Miss Molly playing overhead. The food was good, but it could have been better.

Ironically, Karen’s Diner was not the worst customer service that I have experienced. From existing Diner videos on YouTube, I was expecting much worse. The Diner has started out well, but it could do much better with more realistic Karens. Overall, it was an enthralling and hilarious experience.

KAREN’S DINER TOP RYDE is a 3 month pop-up located at the Top Ryde Shopping Centre. The pop-up experience ends on July 22. For Bookings head to: www.bemorekaren.com/ryde

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