Simon Wilkinson’s call: This is the best pizza in Adelaide
A renowned pizza maker has gone extraordinary lengths to make the dough for his new restaurant, writes Simon Wilkinson — and the renowned food critic has called it: It’s the best pizza in Adelaide.
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The Mediterranean Sea has washed over so much history, real and mythical, that it’s easy to believe it could hold some special powers.
But when it comes to making pizza dough, is this water really any different than filling a few containers up from the shallows at the Bay?
Ettore Bertonati clearly believes so.
For his new restaurant Madre, Ettore is importing sea water across the globe from Naples, the city that claims absolute authority over how pizzas that bear its name should be made. (Please don’t tell Greta Thunberg).
Even by these exacting protocols, Madre is next level.
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As well as the sea water that provides all the necessary salt, Ettore uses two different flours and a sourdough starter he has had bubbling away for more than five years to make a dough he says is a close replica to that made in Italy before the first World War.
Given Ettore’s reputation as one of this country’s foremost pizza whisperers, who is going to argue with him?
This might be the first business in which he has been an owner but, since arriving from Naples in 2013, his experience has been instrumental to the success of Etica, Napoli and, most recently, Pizzateca at McLaren Vale, where he worked with Tony and Vito Mitolo, who are also tied up in this new venture.
Located in a southern CBD property that was previously home to Feliciano’s (another pizzeria), Madre has more X factor than all those TV talent shows put together.
It looks drop-dead glamorous, more Milan (Dolce & Gabbana, perhaps) than Naples.
At the front, the dining zone favour retro curves over corners and is finished in powder-puff shades of musk and beige with bold blue trim. This links to the striking deep-ocean tones of the kitchen at the back in which the tiled dome of the oven is the focal point. Even the loos have been thoughtfully styled.
Staff are bright sparks and seem fully invested in the special talents of the boss.
Kicking off the night with a negroni and a snack will help put you in the right headspace for what lies ahead.
From the selection of fried bits and pieces, a croquette filled with potato and scamorza (smoked cheese) is a light and crunchy ball of bliss. Go for this ahead of the “caprese sbagliata”, a play on the traditional salad, with molten mozzarella, chopped tomato and traces of basil in a crumbed casing made of dried beans.
An octopus salad will take you out of Naples and on to the Amalfi coast, the slices of lightly marinated tentacle stacked up with shaved fennel and rocket, a decent squeeze of lemon all that is needed to make it sing.
Pizzas are the size of a large dinner plate and intended to serve one. While some will share, you will be amazed how effortlessly each slice, judiciously topped to within an inch of its rim, disappears. The base is remarkable, covered evenly in an outbreak of smaller spots and larger blisters of char at the edge, tender and wholesome, structurally sound right through to the middle.
Seven variations are listed, the first three having little more than sugo (made with hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes) and cheese. The “Pina” carries pieces of fried zucchini, baby Roma tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and peppered pecorino. The only possible improvement would be to give the chilli oil, which is offered separately, more grunt.
A single pasta dish, listed as a special, is the only alternative if you really don’t want to have pizza (or the folded and fried pasty version known as calzone). This night’s marinara is an ample collection of quality prawns, squid, mussels and true vongole (Coffin Bay I guess), with parsley, chilli and a touch of fresh tomato. It just needs a little more oil or stock to coat the noodles and bring it together.
To finish, a rum babah gets just as much TLC as the rest, with the brioche base left for 36 hours to prove, soaked in a dark rum syrup, split open and loaded with pastry cream.
The reputation of Ettore and co has ensured Madre has been smashed since opening two months ago. The service and the dough have been tweaked over that time and both have improved.
As it stands, I don’t think you will find a better pizza anywhere in this town. There must be something in the water, after all.
