Overview
The team behind South Yarra's A25 pizzeria in South Yarra has made their way to the centre of town, opening a new offshoot in the middle of the CBD. Set to start service at 7.30am on Thursday, May 12 on the corner of Lonsdale Street and Hardware Lane, A25 City will focus on Italian coffee and on-the-go breakfasts as well as their lauded pizzas, with owner Remo Nicolini promising "some interesting surprises."
Obviously, you can expect quite the Italian focus at their newbie. Working with chef Raymond Capaldi, the veteran restaurateur described the A25 spinoff as "an all-day Italian eatery" that will bring "a bigger focus towards healthy, easy-to-digest pizza dough and authentic homemade pasta". They won't just be sticking to the tried-and-tested methods either — the duo plan to experiment with different flours each week to create a range of pizza bases.
"I feel at home in the CBD," said Nicolini of the new location, which will reportedly seat 50 people indoors with room for another 50 outside. "It is amazing to have acquired such a prominent site on Hardware Lane."
The A25 menu will have some of the South Yarra faves, like the Bim Bum Bam pizza — which is epically topped with prawns, pancetta, truffle porcini, broccolini, truffle aioli and parmesan 'snow' (that is, grated parmesan) — as well as new ones like a Black Forest dessert pizza. They'll also have a cake cabinet packed with Italian pastries and custard bombolonis (yes!) and something that looks very much like a rocky road ice cream panini.
In addition to A25's two locations, Nicolini's resume includes +39 Pizzeria on Little Bourke Street, Espressino on King Street and Non Solo Pasta in the Docklands. His brother Tony, meanwhile, runs the show over at Carlton's D.O.C. Point is, when it comes to Italian dining, this guy is no slouch.
A25 City will open on Thursday, May 12 at 399 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. It will be open 7.30am till 10pm Monday to Friday and 8am till 10pm on Saturdays. For more info, visit a25.com.au.
By Tom Clift and Lauren Vadnjal.