LOCATIONNear the corner of Little Bourke Street and Hardware Lane; close to the 96 tram stop of Bourke and Elizabeth Streets.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAOwner Tony Nicolini – also responsible for Espressino and Pizza Espresso – has thrown his experience and passion for pizza-making behind his new project, +39 Pizzeria and Degustation Bar. +39 is a handy CBD cafe for breakfast and lunch when it offers tasty, toasted piadinas with delicious combinations like pumpkin, caramelised leek and goat’s cheese, or speck and brie, and a selected list of $10 pizzas. But it’s at sundown that the ambitious pizzeria within +39 really comes out, and when old provincial recipes and creative, modern ideas creep onto the blackboard menu. The lobster and black caviar mix certainly pushes the pizza envelope, while the more traditional combinations, including speck and marscarpone, will impress any connoisseur. The popular degustation options include fresh Italian cheeses and salumi that both beautifully complement the pizza and hold their own as the main meal.
+39 has a simple, open space that accommodates large and small groups, and strikes a balance between the rustic and the modern by mixing wood-topped tables with sweeping curves. Lunchtime piadinas start at $9 while dinner mains start at $14.
Frank Trimboli, May 2009