295 Drummond St
Carlton, VIC 3053
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.
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