D.O.C.

PROFILED BY DEGROOTS MEDIA

You don’t need to be feeling unwell to go and see D.O.C. in Carlton. In fact, your only malady might be a spot of hunger and you’re sure to find the cure you need at this restaurant. The letters stand for Denominazione d’origine Controllata, which is an Italian classification given to premium food and wine products from particular localities. The menu at D.O.C. is a showcase of this excellent range of Italian treats and if you flip the menu to look at the map of Italy on the back you can pin-point which region each ingredient hails from. Owner, Tony Nicolini, comes from good pizza making stock – his father flung the dough in Queensland for 40 years and he taught Tony everything he knows.

The menu sticks mainly to pizza, but with pies as classy as this, who’s complaining?
You might want to begin with some antipasto or a tasting plate of buffalo mozzarella which pits the Aussie variety against the more traditional Italian style. Proving that the simple things in life are often the best, the classic margherita with tomato, cheese and basil wins plenty of fans at D.O.C., or jazz things up and go for the top of the range, with buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto spagnolo, mascarpone and rocket. Some of the other D.O.C. approved gourmet goodies here include mineral water and a great range of vino.

Rita Erlich