Thursday 4 July 2013

DOC Pizza & Mozzarella

295 Drummond St 
Carlton, VIC 3053

It’s exam time, and nothing cuts through the stress like a good meal. On a chilly Friday evening during swot vac, Chris and I found ourselves at DOC Pizza and Mozzarella Bar.




For one of the most highly regarded pizzerias in Melbourne, DOC is surprisingly homely and has a great family-feel to it. The service was perfunctory and a little hard to come by even when quiet, but the waiters with gorgeous Italian accents almost made up for it. 


Bresaola with Fior di Latte ($16.9)

It comes as no surprise that a place toting itself as a mozzarella bar would have an extensive cheese menu. On this particular night, we sampled the Bresaola with Fior di Latte ($16.9). Five minutes later, out came a wooden paddle carrying shavings of air-cured beef, and milky balls of mozzarella the colour of pale butter.  The mild creaminess of the cheese was gently brought out by the rich slivers of salted beef, and the sweet oiliness of the basil. It was pure, unadulterated joy. 


Pizza Capricciosa Nuova ($19.9)

Then there was a bit of a wait, but eventually we got out hands on the Pizza Capricciosa Nuova ($19.9), a classic concoction of ham, mushroom, artichoke and olives, on a base of tomato and mozzarella. On the up side, the cheese stretched on forever and was pretty much heaven on dough, and the serving size was generous too. 

Pizza Capricciosa Nuova ($19.9)

Unfortunately, the center of the pizza was very soggy; in fact the entire pizza felt rather... wet. Chris even commented on how weird it was to have pizza drip down his face as he ate, and he’s not a messy eater – not by far. 


Mixed Gelati ($9.9)

Feeling a little limp (see what I did there) from the subpar pizza, I ordered the Mixed Gelati ($9.9), wanting something sweet to finish our slightly disappointing meal with.

It was incredible.

I had never tasted such an amazing gelato in my life. It was like having sweet kernels of young pistachio, icy home-made lemonade, and dark chocolate fudge transfigured (by Professor McGonagall) into a frozen treat with the silken texture of cream. I had been feeling very deflated from the pizza, but the gelato wiped the slate clean.  

Our dinner at DOC was a bit of a contrasting experience. Our starter was excellent and the dessert was astronomical, but the main event wasn’t up to scratch. It’s still very popular with the crowds, with the al fresco seating filled up even on a freezing winter night, but if you ask me, the mozzarella really is the glue that holds the place together. And the gelato, of course.

Rating: 15/20 – best. gelato. ever.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. And the number of hairs Chris has on his fingers. 

DOC Pizza & Mozzarella Carlton on Urbanspoon

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