A25, South Yarra by Bureaucrat

Even if you don't follow world politics, I'd be surprised if you haven't heard of Silvio Berlusconi, former Prime Minister of Italy.  One of the more memorable, if not infamous, incidents during his tenure was the "bunga bunga" scandal.  During a court case it was revealed that an under-aged belly dancer and alleged prostitute claimed that she was paid by Mr Berlusconi to participate in orgies with him and 20 other women, and this included performing an African-style ritual known as the "bunga bunga" in the nude.

While A25 styles itself as a vegan-friendly pizza restaurant (indeed, there are many options for vegans to have their pizza pie and eat it too), it's also a tongue-in-cheek homage to Mr Berlusconi - from his image on the takeaway pizza boxes, the Bunga Bunga pizza and the vibrant pink toilet with the fluorescent love-heart mirror that frames the wall-length image of him when you look into the mirror (read on for the photo!).

Pizza is sexy!

For a leisurely weekend lunch, the Lawyer and I ordered a few dishes to share.  While pizza is the name of the game, we were completely bowled over by the calamari entree.  Without exaggeration, this is one of the best calamari we've ever have had.  Long tangles of golden-crusted calamari.  The best bit?  The utterly buttery flavour and tender flesh - I think it was deep fried in butter!  Super fresh and super tender, the calamari was served on squeaky fresh rocket, a gorgeously rich squid ink mayo and a wedge of lemon.  So simple but so, so good!  It's Italian cooking at its best - there's no pungent sauces or seasoning to detract from the quality of the ingredients.  Delizioso!

Coming in at a close second was the Fettuccine al Nero - squid ink pasta.  Once again, it was an excellent example of where quality ingredients shone.  We loved the juicy chilli prawns, the plump clams and the sweet cherry tomatoes and zucchini slices that were tossed through the fresh handmade pasta.  Simply wonderful!  The Lawyer even got the pizza crust to mop up the moreish sauce.

Mwah! Getting up-close with Mr Berlusconi in the toilet

While I was very tempted to order the grilled eggplant pizza, I just couldn't go past the Bunga Bunga pizza.  On a paper-thin base, it was loaded with Italian pork sausage, porcini mushrooms, tomato sugo, fior di latte, parsley and grated parmesan.  It was a bit delicate to eat while it was hot (definitely a fork and knife job), but we were able to eat the leftovers at home with our hands.  As with the other dishes, quality ingredients are key here.

The pizza dough is leavened for 36 hours to give it a lovely flavour and easier digestibility.  There are also a range of vegan and gluten-free options.

While I was stuffed, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try some tiramisu.  This was lovely and rich and perfectly creamy.

Verdict

We loved it.

Mid value.

Overall

A25 is a wonderful place for truly delicious Italian food!  A very good thing to keep in mind is that they have specials during the week - $15 pizzas on Monday nights, $15 pastas on Tuesday nights, and all pizzas and pastas are $15 during weekdays.  That is seriously good value for the quality and quantity you're getting!

Also of note, is the service.  The staff are super friendly and you can feel their happiness - from the front of house to the kitchen staff.

The Eat and Be Merry Crew were guests of A25.

Find it at

A25
720 Chapel Street
South Yarra VIC 3141
Phone: (03) 9826 2233