A huge number of people were surveyed to come out with this result. That is, my family and friends and I think we have taken at least 20 of them out and about for pizza in Melbourne, so this has to count for something!
I Carusi
Drive along Holmes Street in Brunswick East looking for a sophisticated, restaurant with obvious signage and you will miss this treat. You have to know the address is 46a Holmes St and even then, you may drive right past.
At last you realise that the small shop front with a bicycle leaned against the window and a couple of rather rattly looking tables and chairs, is I Carusi. It might have been one of those old gathering places for European men, where they sit in dark corners and play board games.
Inside is a different story, narrow alleys allow for as many tables as possible to be jammed into this rustic restaurant. It is always noisy. Always. That is part of the dining experience.
Aromas
The first thing you notice is that it is warm and welcoming and casual but yes, it does have sophistication. This is the kind of sophistication that can throw you, like when the waiter serves your wine in traditional country style by pouring your NZ red into tumblers.
Then the aromas of fresh baking thin pizza crusts, topped with garlic and good oil and a range of flavours starts to send your taste buds crazy. For me, favourites are the Bianca pizzas, like potato and leek or the four cheese with hints of Gorgonzola threaded through the cheesy wash. Edible artistry is the only description I can give these pizzas.
The Best
Why is this pizza restaurant the best in my opinion? Because the flavours are never ostentatious, but are delicious to the last bite, even when we have ordered more pizza than is wise for our stomachs.
Other favourite pizza restaurants would have to be pizza Espresso in LowerTemplestowe and Woodfire in Ivanhoe. Excellent, but if I was to impress a friend, I would book I Carusi. And bookings are essential.
Somehow, pizza connoisseurs discover this eatery in large numbers. It is a pizza legend, at least amongst foodies and that is enough for me.
