23 Aug Fugazza, Melbourne CBD

Located in Equitable Pl, which is between Collins and Lt Collins and near Elizabeth St, this small cafe specialises in fugazza. Quoting from their website,
“Fugazza recreates traditional Italian baked sandwiches. Our light, tasty focaccia start with artisan sourdough bread, created using a combination of wholemeal, rye and unbleached flour. True to their origins, our sandwiches are baked, not pressed, creating a beautifully light, crisp crust.”

I got the $10 offer which included a half fugazza (normally $6) plus a soup (normally $6.90 for a regular size). They have 2 soups, 2 salads and 2 fugazzas of the day, but for today I went with an item on the regular menu: Porchetta (roast pork) – Shaved Italian roast pork, roast pumpkin, aged asiago cheese, baby spinach. The soups available were tuscan bean and chorizo and white bean. I chose the former. I was asked if I wanted a sprinkle of parmesan and some bread to go with it, which I declined. I don’t know if they charge extra for it.

The half-fugazza was quite large and I wonder if it’s really half a regular size or slightly larger. True to their word, the bread was delightfully soft with a crispy outside and not oily like the focaccias I used to get from Safeway/Coles. The fugazza didn’t have a lot of filling, but I thought it was nicely balanced. The hearty and tasty tuscan bean soup had potato, carrots, onions, celery, various beans (e.g. kidney beans, borlotti beans), chopped cavolo nero and herbs. The meal was satiating and wholesome and seemed like better value compared to a lot of the $10-and-under lunches I’ve had. I’ve heard that all fugazzas are $5 after 2pm. I’m not sure if that deal is still current, but it would definitely be worth a look if in need of a late lunch/early afternoon snack.

Fugazza
31 Equitable Pl
Melbourne, VIC, 3000
03 9939 4915
http://www.fugazza.com.au/