It’s a little hidden, but the discovery of some delicious pizza is worth it. Photo: Martin Conway.
The buzz is building for one of Braddon’s newest food trucks, Bella Pizza. Tucked down what is essentially a driveway at the rear of Waves Carwash and opening right on the start of winter, it hasn’t been the easiest start for owners Sanjay and Radhika, but they’re determined to have all of Canberra enjoying their 24-hour fermented sourdough bases.
It’s an unlikely location to find good food, and that’s what I love about it; it offers a sense of discovery rarely found in a polished restaurant or fancy fit-out, propped up there between a roller door and the passing cars looking for a spot.
It’s businesses like these that will help Braddon not tip too far over into the tight grip of gentrification.
“We were initially thinking about opening a cafe or a takeaway, but the costs are so high, and we’re always inspired by the food trucks in Canberra and Sydney, so we thought we would give that a go,” explains owner Sanjay Ghatani, who has started the business with his wife Radhika Dhungana.
The smiling face of Radhika Dhungana greets customers at Bella Pizza. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Starting a food truck may have been the more affordable option, but finding a place to park it proved more challenging, and Sanjay and Radhika sat on the truck for more than 6 months before securing a spot at the carwash.
Settled into their new home, Sanjay is now bringing together more than a decade of experience in pizza kitchens across Canberra to deliver a food-truck experience he hopes will really hit the spot with Canberrans.
“The secret really is the fermented sourdough base; people love that it’s very light, and we focus on quality ingredients like fior di latte cheese. It costs more, but it’s worth it,” Sanjay explains.
The menu consists of seven varieties of pizza, plus two additional kids’ pizzas and a selection of starters like mixed olives, confit garlic cheese pizza, pizza bianca and some surprise momos (because who doesn’t love a momo?)
“The menu I created are pizzas that are most popular in a fine dining restaurant, plus a few I created myself. The pork and potato pizza is our most popular. The pork is Italian sausage, and the potato is marinated with Italian herbs and rosemary and pre-cooked to get a really good rich flavour from them.”
The Ham and Pine pizza is not to be confused with the Hawaiian Pizza on the kids menu. Photo: Martin Conway.
Choosing what pizzas to have is always the test of a relationship, and I’m afflicted with a husband who always insists on ordering a ham and pineapple pizza, so on our recent visit I compromised and allowed it; that’s just the kind of wife I am, and we paired it with the Tre Carne Meatlovers.
There was actually nothing to stress about with Sanjay’s Ham and Pine pizza, since it isn’t your standard Hawaiian pizza (they’ve saved that for the kids).
This version has the lovely San Marzano tomato base that appears across the full range, fior di latte cheese, double-smoked leg ham, and Sanjay’s special cinnamon-fusion pineapple. It has none of that cheap, sharp tinned-fruit flavour that I was expecting; in fact, the pineapple just added a subtle sweetness and balanced well with all the flavours on the base.
The Tre Carne is a wonderful blending of quality meats on their signature San Marzano sauce. Photo: Martin Conway.
The Tre Carne is a wonderful blend of rich, high-quality Italian meats, including Italian sausage, double-smoked leg ham, and pepperoni. Sitting on top of that same smooth tomato base, it’s a harmonious combination that’s a real winner.
Looking forward to the warmer months and longer afternoons at his Braddon location, Sanjay says the next dream for the business would be to head to Italy to build on his already extensive pizza experience.
Bella Pizza is located at the rear of 17 Lonsdale Street, Braddon, and is open from Tuesday until Sunday from 5 pm.
Original Article published by Tenele Conway on Region Canberra.
