25 Jul Homeslice, Richmond
Homeslice is the next venture from Daragh Kan and Myles Munro – the people behind Mr Burger and Fancy Hank’s (and soon, Welcome to Thornbury, a the food-truck park and beer garden) – and business partner Hugh Hindle (Tall Timber). Together with head chef Antony Campbell (ex-Enoteca Sileno), they’ve put together a menu that deviates a little from the combinations typically found on pizzas.
Previously a yarn store just off Swan St, the long and narrow space has been reworked to now feature a simple, bright interior designed by Therefore Studio, with white tiling, light-grey painted brick and white steel beams running above the kitchen. Daragh and Myles did much of the hard work themselves, and a year later their efforts have finally paid off. The vibe is casual and welcoming.
Homeslice’s 12″ pizzas utilise quality cured products like hams and the beautifully, evenly cured salami from Salumi Australia, an Australian owned and operated boutique smallgoods business in northern NSW. Apart from the ubiquitous salami, a range of pork products are used, including prosciutto, sausages and smoked ham. There are a number of vegetarian options too, like Margherita, Eggplant and Pumpkin, and a fish option in the form of the Sicilian, with anchovies. Dough is stretched and shaped to order, toppings lovingly arranged, and 4 minutes later the pizza is ready to enjoy straight out of the oven.
We began with the Tropical, with roasted pork shoulder, pineapple, salsa verde, mozzarella and tomato. The free-range Berkshire pork shoulder was marinated for 2 days, then slow-roasted in the oven before being used as a topping. The whole pineapple slices were also caramelised in the oven first, to give them an extra dimension of flavour. Squirts of salsa verde provided some fresh zing to what I suppose could also be described as a tasty, up-market Hawaiian. The base was thin and crispy with a nice puff around the edges. I don’t always finish the crust on my pizzas, but this time I couldn’t help myself.
Next up was the cured pork cheek with brussel sprouts, roasted garlic, parmesan, mozzarella and tomato. This one was as pretty as a picture. There were bursts of saltiness from the cured pork cheek, and a lovely punch of flavour from the parmesan and garlic. Not a fan of brussel sprouts? Don’t worry. The bitter sulfur flavour that’s often the big turn off for brussel sprout-haters isn’t obvious. Here, the inner layers of the sprouts are finely sliced and arranged as a bed for the other ingredients, offering a tender texture and gentle flavour that we both really enjoyed. The outer layers were scattered on top to give vibrant, visual appeal and a little extra bite. This pizza had a cleaner, fresher taste and was a great alternative to the tomato-based ones.
Homeslice also offers a range of seasonal salads and sides like antipasto and roasted garlic pizza. The roast pumpkin salad looked and sounded rather good, but today we had balsamic glazed dried fig salad with baby spinach, addictively crunchy roasted almonds and tasty pecorino.
The store is fully-licensed, featuring wine and local craft beers like Two Birds and Mountain Goat, and will be offering delivery (with driver tracking!) from September 1. More quality eateries are popping up around Swan St, and if you’re after pizza, Homeslice is one to check out.
Disclaimer: I was invited to dine at Homeslice as a guest, however, opinions expressed here are purely my own and not influenced by them in any way.
Homeslice Pizza
321 Lennox St
Richmond, VIC, 3121
(03) 9429 3009
www.homeslice.pizza
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