Dining review: pizza at DeVita Piccolo in Dee Why

Manly pizzeria DeVita has opened a mini version in Dee Why. It’s called DeVita Piccolo.

The Capricciosa pizza goes into the oven. Picture: Braden Fastier

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First Manly and now Dee Why.

But the DeVita journey began in Naples three years ago when two Italians Luca Canonico and Salvatore Leva shipped a 2.5 tonne fire-breathing beast from Naples over to Darley Rd.

It wasn’t a random act of madness but a deliberate ploy to make authentic wood-fired pizza in Manly. That slavish quest for authenticity included a fourth generation pizziaiolo (pizza maker) and a store cupboard of Italian ingredients such as Napolitan Caputo flour.

Capricciosa and regina from the pizza menu. Picture: Braden Fastier

DeVita has a blackboard specials using Italian ingredients. You won’t find pineapple, tandoori chicken or other oddities, but you will find two things — simple flavours and great ingredients. It’s a tried and tested formula that’s been neatly transplanted to the not-so-pretty main road strip in Dee Why.

DeVita Piccolo is a mini Manly, complete with a wood-fired pizza oven, although this one hasn’t come from Naples. There are the same pasta dishes and pizzas — from 17cm individual pizzas to metre slabs that are perfect for sharing. The regina comes with fior di latte (stretched curd cheese) cherry tomatoes, olive oil, basil, prosciutto and a scattering of rocket, it’s great, we’ve had it in Manly when friends were visiting from overseas.

So too is the quattro formaggi with its topping of mouth-burning, oozy stringy Swiss cheese, gorgonzola, parmesan and fior di latte. It is salty and sweet and the fresh basil cuts straight through all the richness.

The regina is big on ingredients and big on flavour. Picture: Braden Fastier

Our Saturday night visit to Dee Why is more experimental. Instead of going for a couple of favourites, we’ve gone out on a limb, choosing two specials. One is a creamy prawn and sun-dried tomato fettuccine, from the blackboard. The other is the star-shaped pizza from the menu that’s stuffed with a list of promising ingredients.

Each point is packed with fior di latte and salami, ricotta and ham, capsicum and mozzarella, eggplant and cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. The pasta’s passable and it’s a generous portion, but the pizza is disappointing.

Each point of the pizza star is turned over like a mini calzone, but the stuffing in the pockets is just warm and doesn’t have that cooked quality of direct heat of the wood-fired oven.

Tiramisu means pick me up and really does perk us up. This classic dessert hits the spot. Next time, we’ll stick to wood-fired pizza, it’s what DeVita does best.

Keep it sweet: Pannacotta with wild berry sauce. Picture: Braden Fastier

DeVita Piccolo

860 Pittwater Rd, Dee Why

Phone: [phone]

Open: Lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Saturday, 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-9:30pm. Sunday, from 5pm

Go for: wood-fired pizzas, quattro formaggi, from $22; regina, from $25, depending on size; metre-long pizza $80

BYO: Licence on the way, currently no charge for BYO wine

Vibe: Nearly Napoli

Bottom line:$60 for two