Dining Out - Gelato Messina & Pizza Design Co.

ratticus (58)in #food • 7 years ago (edited)

Today we've got another double feature. One of my good friends from Perth is over currently and we got to spend the afternoon in Parramatta. We started off grabbing a coffee and hot chocolate at Red Mango. Decent enough coffee for a non-coffee snob like me, and only $4 each for our large sized mugs. Wouldn't want a smaller serve though! Great to just sit about in the square chatting and watching the world go past.

Off to the cinema to see Justice League. I think DC might have finally found their feet with their movies, and we both quite enjoyed it.

Then we did the adult thing and went and got food. Dessert first because we're adults

Gelato Messina

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^{So much glass reflections. But I wanted to be able to see in the store as well, and the overhead sign isn't in a position to do this}

We both love this place, and have been multiple times. This time around I tried their Pannacotta with Fig Jam & Ameretti Biscuit, and one of their current specials, Old Gregg - Baileys gelato with butterscotch sauce folded through. Charis had Salted Coconut & Mango Salsa, with Poached Figs in Marsala.

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^{I had to dig down the side of the Old Gregg so that some of the Pannacotta could be seen. Delicious preparation work}

Mine took a while to find the fig flavour, but when I did it was very good. The Old Gregg was very nice though, with more of a butterscotch flavour and just a trace of the Baileys. As we had previously found, the Salted coconut and Mango salsa is heavy on the mango flavour, but you still know there is salted coconut behind it. It's also a sorbet instead of a gelato. The poached figs must have been good because her cup was empty way before mine was.

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^{My friend, enjoying her dessert}

Then we were on to main course, right next door.

Pizza Design Co

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^{Nice open frontage, taken from within the outdoor dining area out the front}

Their menu is pretty simple, with all the basics covered, but the main thing is their intention of you to create your own 4 topping combination. Pick a base (regular or gluten free). Pick a sauce, and they've got 7 to pick from. Choose a cheese from their 4 selections. And then pick your 4 toppings from their wide selection of over 30 toppings.

I modified their Prosciutto Pizza, replacing the Cherry Tomatoes with Kalamata Olives, resulting in a pizza with a tomato base, Buffalo Mozzarella, Proscuitto, Olives, Rocket, Shaved Parmesan, and Olive Oil. Charis being restricted by what is and isn't gluten free had pesto sauce topped with Chorizo, sweet potato, capsicum, feta and Olives on a Gluten Free base.

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^{Charis' gluten free being made while my base sits waiting in the foreground}

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^{Ready for this to go in the pizza oven. I missed the production of mine while we got a table. Comfy padded bench seats for both of us at a corner table}

While she did catch him out with using the same gloves to shape my dough before going to top her pizza, he was pretty good at being reminded about the cross contamination issue with that and changed his gloves immediately before making her pizza entirely before starting to make mine. It held up their normal production line a bit I suspect, but they could just as easily have used one of the other staff wandering around to make mine. As normal the gluten free base was a pre-made one, but it looked like it was probably an in-house or specialist made one. definitely thawed from frozen though. The traditional base is fresh dough stretched out on the pan.

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^{Tables don't seem to be overly crowded into the place, but I can imagine it'd be a bit tight between some if all the seats are taken}

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^{Oh, you were waiting to see the actual pizza? Here they are, taking over so much of our table}

The pizza was pretty good, and at $15 for a 13" on fresh made base, I'd certainly go back. Not being wood fired, it really doesn't compare to any that are, with the base being a bit thicker than is should be and not having the crispness that wood fired provides. All the ingredients were good and fresh, and service was quick and efficient, and made for a great way to cap off the evening. Pretty sure the ciders helped too.