La Via

LOCATION
Opposite the South Bank Parklands in South Bank, Brisbane.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
La Via speaks with a rustic Italian tenor. Its ambience is built from layers of style that include dark wood tones, a traditional old-world wine cellar and an undeniable Italian charm. To begin, the appetising menu offers ricotta-and-baked-bread stuffed zucchini flowers or fresh calamari fritti with a subtle aioli-dressed rocket. For mains, there’s a protected claim that this humble pizzeria creates some of Brisbane’s greatest wood-fired pizzas, which should be explored. If you venture towards this option, be aware that the crusts are so faultless and the trappings so tantalising that you may be compelled to stand up mid-dinner and give them applause. One of the tempting flavours that may have this effect is the pumpkin, roasted pine nuts, fresh goat’s cheese and rocket pizze. The mortadella (tasty Italian sausage) green olives, chilli oil and creamy provolone is similarly pleasing to the palate.

If you have it in you to look beyond the pizzas, two brilliantly executed mains that you should lean towards include pancetta-wrapped tiger prawns tossed in angle hair pasta with chilli and lemon and an oven-dried tomato risotto with buffalo mozzarella and basil oil. To end your dining experience splurge (as you should when dining Italian) with a Lindt chocolate panacotta and candied oranges. You will leave thinking that La Via is a gifted vision of Italian cooking – not exceedingly elaborate, but with just the right amount (and the right kind) of elements to create a wonderful dining experience.

Katharine Chapman