A Roman pizzeria by two ex-D.O.C staff, opposite the South Melbourne Market.
Two ex-D.O.C staff – brothers Lino and Gabriele Torre – have now opened Pizzateca Lupa, a 34-seat Roman pizzeria in a prime street-facing South Melbourne Market site.
A 48-hour-fermented dough produces a firm, thick base for rotating toppings including margherita, and mortadella crowned with a tiny ball of burrata. The square slices sit in a glass cabinet so the market crowd can grab and go.
Unlike the pizza in teglia, Lupa’s pizza tonda – a light, crisp-crusted style – is cooked to order. Options include Norma, a riff on the Sicilian pasta dish of the same name, with fried eggplant, cherry tomatoes and ricotta salata; the Tradizionale with tuna, endive and tropea onion; and one with 24-month-aged San Daniele prosciutto. The 13-inch pizzas are available to dine in, or takeaway via online pre-order.
There are also a handful of classic Roman pastas, from cylindrical-shaped tubettone carbonara to fusilli all’amatriciana. Housemade seasonal giardiniera (an Italian pickled vegetable mix) comes in two forms: as is, for a snack; and in a cocktail, the pickling liquid lending a saline edge to a gin martini. To finish there’s tiramisu in a coffee cup, and dessert pizzas topped with seasonal fruit.
