LOCATION On Flinders Street, a 10 minute cab ride from the CBD.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA I approach Eats Italian with trepidation. My jeans are getting uncomfortable from too many lazy weekend takeaways making me wary of dough and cheese in all their delicious combinations. I needn’t have worried. Eats Italian isn’t your average pizza joint. Not pizza as we know it in Australia, anyway.
Restaurateurs Sandra Cassonello and Luca Olmastroni bring their Italian heritage as well as experience in the kitchens of Sydney institutions like Lucio Pizzeria, Pizza Mario and Rosso Pomodoro. Why is this place different to all the others? Most of it’s in the magic of the best ingredients - everything is imported from Italy, right down to the table salt - and the rest of the charm comes from the energy of the owners themselves.
The menu is divided into pizze rosse or bianche (with or without tomato sauce). We try the vegetarian with sauce and the bresaola without. The bases are exactly as they should be, thin, crispy and light. You can tell the mozzarella is the pure Italian stuff - it creates long, silky strings with every bite. The pizzas aren’t heavy, so we have room for dessert. The tiramisu is a tub of creamy, coffee-flavoured deliciousness, without the sickly-sweet taste that can come from alcohol-soaked desserts. The panna cotta, topped with grated chocolate and slivered almonds is perfectly smooth.
The love that goes into the food at Eats Italian is overwhelming, so much so that it seems sacrilegious to talk about the restaurant’s decor. Suffice to say, look out for the striking azzurri blue interior. What you’re really here for is a taste of the best pizza in Sydney. Think that’s a big call? Get down there and judge for yourself.
Elizabeth Fenech