Da Mario's industrial setting has been given an Italian touch.Steven Siewert13.5/20
Italian$$$$
We live in a world where Domino's sells one million pizzas every single day. You get to choose your own crust - thin'n'crispy,classic or deep pan - and toppings that run from chicken and feta to cheesy bacon Hawaiian. Want to add pineapple to that for another $2? You're welcome,have a nice day.
Then there's the new Da Mario pizzeria in Rosebery,David and Marcelo Cowdrill's long-awaited sequel to Mario's much-awarded pizzeria in Surry Hills,whose menu clearly states''no variations''. No,you can't have anchovies on your gorgonzola and radicchio pizza."You just don't mix two different things,"says Marcelo."It's too conflicting."
As a devout follower of the rules of pizza - making as laid down by Italy's Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana - Da Mario is not the place for''designa''pizza. The associazione insists the dough be made from doppio zero flour,and measure 0.4cm thick in the middle,and 1 to 2cm at the crust. The pizza should be cooked in a wood-fired oven at 485C for 60 to 90 seconds,and the base should have the flavour and aroma of"well-prepared,baked bread"and be"soft,elastic,easy to manipulate and fold".
Go-to dish:Pizza Margherita Extra (tomato,buffalo mozzarella,fresh tomato and basil).Steven SiewertGiven the''no variations''theme,the pizza menu is surprisingly long,from a delicate potato,sea salt and rosemary to tuna,mozzarella and olives. Margherita con ruchetta e crudo ($24) is based on the Napoletana classic;the clean,crisp and smoky base topped with fresh rocket and prosciutto. Yes,it smells of freshly baked bread and yes,it can easily be manipulated to be eaten"a libretto",folded like a book.
Incapable of ordering pizza without anchovy,I add a Partenopea,topped with tomato,mozza,anchovies,olives,capers and oregano ($20). Again,the crust is risen,puffy and slightly charred,fragrant with wood-ash.
The Cowdrills have gently Italianised this semi-industrial space,part of the former Rosella cannery that,at the other end,houses Kitchen by Mike. It's reminiscent of its near neighbour with its distressed brick walls,stripped-back ceiling,poured floor and piled-up firewood,but the heart of the place is its hearth;a mighty three-tonne,Vespa-red pizza oven,tended by pizzaiolo Simone Rech. A long,sleek bar,hanging ferns,and generous decking lined with umbrellas make it an easy,cosmopolitan sort of place to hang out,day or night.
The wine list is limited,but pizza-friendly,and most of the Aussie and Italian all-rounders are under $50,including a refreshing,floral-scented A Mano Fiano Greco from Puglia ($8.50/$45).
There are things other than pizza. Olive Ascolana ($9),fat green olives stuffed with finely ground meat,crumbed and deep fried in the Marchigiani style,are a pop-in-the-mouth treat. Match an aperitivo to gamberetti ($12),deep-fried Hawkesbury River school prawns that need only a quick squeeze of fresh lemon,or share an affettato misto ($21),the big,marbled flaps of fresh-tasting wagyu bresaola particularly good with the giardiniera pickles.
Daily specials run from grilled swordfish with fennel and caper salsa ($22) to a rigorously al dente bigoli pasta with duck ragu ($24),made by head chef Franco Bortignon on an ancient hand-operated pasta press that belonged to his grandmother. Salads are simple - if it says buffalo mozzarella,tomato and basil ($14),that's what you get. Desserts are smartened-up classics,although a hazelnut semifreddo dusted with parmesan-like white chocolate ($12) is pretty much frozen solid.
But you're really here for the hand-made beauty of the pizza. Sydney is well-served with pizza at every level,from small-scale and stubbornly traditional,to''designa''pizzas delivered to your door. That's the real choice,and we're lucky to have it.
THE LOW-DOWN
Best bit:The pizza,dummy.
Worst bit: The parking.
Go-to dish: Pizza Margherita Extra (tomato,buffalo mozzarella,fresh tomato and basil),$25.