Pizza and principles

The owners of a city eatery are uncompromising in their views on animal welfare and pizza making, but still know how to make dining fun.

Antipasto at Etica. Photo: Jack Fenby

The name is Italian for “ethics” and its young owners are renowned for hanging the stuffed remains of a dead cow from the ceiling of their other business as a reminder of the realities of the food chain.

So you might expect the pizzas at Etica to be delivered with po-faced reverence, a side serve of moralising and reminders that your dining pleasure comes at a terrible cost.

However, this one-of-a-kind city eatery is proof that an uncompromising set of principles can co-exist with a sense of humour and some of the most charming service you will find anywhere.

Just take a look at the menus that state unequivocally inside: “All animal derived products are sourced from farms that practice with the highest animal welfare standards.” Serious stuff. Yet on the cover are hilarious hologram pictures with scenes from the Amalfi coast’s summer playgrounds.

Etica. Photo: Jack Fenby

When Federico and Melissa Pisanelli opened Etica in the city’s south-east six years ago, Adelaide was still coming to terms with wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pizza and its minimalist approach to toppings.

Then last year they expanded to a second venue, a block or two from the first, initially specialising in the puffier Roman-style pie, sold by the slice, then more recently converting to a bar serving an Italian form of tapas. That’s where you will find Schvitzy, hanging by her heels, and visible through the glass frontage from the street.

The original Etica is far more understated, to the point it is easy to miss when tootling down Gilles St, looking for a park.

A small courtyard at the front will be brilliant in the warmer months, ideally with an Aperol Spritz in hand. Inside, the fiery maw of the wood oven holds pride of place, while mundane kitchen duties are carried out at the rear. A line of tables follows the wall on either side of this long, narrow room.

The lights have been dimmed, which might add to the romantic trattoria vibe of the place, but means food and drink selections require extra illumination from the phone.

A good thing then that the menu is short and sweet: a handful of antipasto openers, nine pizzas, a pair of pastas and a risotto.

Etica. Picture Jack Fenby

Kingfish crudo is a lesson in Italian minimalism. Four triangular slices of fish, in excellent condition, are slicked with an emulsion of oil, lime and mint. Full stop.

Arancini balls, the size of an apricot, are made of a moist rice and eggplant core covered in dark, fried crumbs. They are nestled into a bed of capsicum-based puree, similar to a romesco sauce, with a pleasant tingle of cayenne heat.

Gnocchi are feather-light and might just about float off the plate if they weren’t anchored in a wonderfully indulgent ooze of “fonduta”, the Italian version of a fondue. The sweet pulp of roasted heirloom tomatoes and wilted spinach leaves balance out a terrific dish.

The prawn spaghetti isn’t nearly as convincing. A neatly twirled mound of al dente pasta is accompanied by a pool of rust-coloured sauce that carries a pungent, bisque flavour likely derived from the crustacean heads and shells. The prawn meat, however, is presented as a pair of battered cutlets that just don’t belong. It’s very strange.

And what of the pizza? They are made in true Napoletana style, with a slow-risen base, San Marzano tomatoes and four or five toppings at most. The crust is nicely blistered, if just a little breadier than my favourites. I prefer the plain margherita to a special that adds leathery slices of eggplant.

Finally, a brioche-style cake is meant to be splashed with straight rum to make Etica’s rum baba. The only problem is the two under-agers at the table who don’t want to miss out on dessert. So the cake and a big puddle of custard come to the table with a bottle of spirits so we can add our own splosh when the boys have eaten their share.

I love the baba as much as I love this generous, unpretentious style of service. Seriously.

 

 

ETICA

125 Gilles St, city

8223 6928, etica.pizza

OWNER Federico and Melissa Pisanelli
CHEFS: Mario Vargiu, Federico Iannuccilli

FOOD Pizza/Italian ANTIPASTO $11-$19
MAINS $18-$35 DESSERT $14-$16
DRINKS A logical focus on Italian varietals —
both South Australian and imported.

Open for

DINNER Wed-Sun

SCORE 7.5/10