08 Jul Mother Dough, Hawthorn
Chef and co-owner Adel Mostafa may not be Italian, but given he’s lived in Italy for 17 years you could say he knows a thing or two about how to cook Italian food. Since moving to Australia, he has owned several restaurants in Melbourne before settling into Hawthorn, opening Mother Dough last year.
Adel’s passion is for traditional Italian cuisine, and Pizza Bruschetta gets things off to a good start. The refreshing mixture of diced tomato, parmigiano, basil and balsamic vinaigrette primes the tastebuds for the coming meal. Homemade herbal Black Angus Wagyu Meatballs have a smooth and springy texture and are served with cheese, Napoli sauce and homemade focaccia.
Mother Dough’s 13″ pizzas are available with a range of traditional and gourmet toppings, such as the San Daniele Prosciutto with rocket, shaved parmigiano and fior di latte, and La Pesto with basil pesto, tomato, parmesan, pancetta, pine nuts and fior di latte. The dough, which has been fermented for at least 72 hours, is supple with a slight chew, and the crusts have a nice airiness to them. My favourite of the pizzas is the Il Porcino with truffle paste, porcini mushrooms, speck and smoked scamorza. Plenty of earthy and salty flavours.
The Pappardelle Venison is definitely a comforting pasta dish. Smooth pappardelle holds the tasty double malt beer-marinated venison nicely, and the heart-warming flavours of tomato and sage make this plate wiped clean. Beetroot Filled Ravioli are themselves lacking in flavour, but it’s made up by the thick and stringy gorgonzola, parmesan, scamorza and asiago sauce delivers plenty of punch.
One of the highlights is the Seafood Hotpot. Hidden underneath the focaccia lid is a variety of seafood such as salmon, pipis, mussels, swordfish and calamari. The broth is flavoursome and the crispy focaccia is perfect for soaking it up.
We end with the decadent White Chocolate Pizza with Nutella, Oreos, strawberries and ice cream, and the more traditional and well-balanced Tiramisu, which has a good hit of coffee.
Mother Dough serves up some very fine pizza, and its traditional food and warm and friendly setting makes it a welcoming place to enjoy a meal.
Disclaimer: I was invited to Mother Dough as a guest, however, opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are based on my experience at the time
Mother Dough
86 Burwood Rd
Hawthorn, VIC, 3122
(03) 9819 9000
motherdough.com.au
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