Cucina Viscontini, the Waterside
Saturday, October 6th, 2007I first came across this italian eatery and delicatessen when we held a function at the Waterside, Homebush Bay, and someone came in with these amazing woodfired pizzas. Crispy thin base, and with topped with fresh ingredients to savour the base and not piled one inch high like some pizza joints these days. So on another sunny birthday day off (why do they only come once a year?), we set out to find this pizza again. It’s actually in a little piazza hidden away between the apartment blocks – I’m sure the locals would like to keep their secret to themselves! I’m torn – do I shop first, or eat first?? Well stomach won as usual, and we sat ourselves at one of the tables on the street – strangely enough, all enclosed in a plastic awning despite being a gorgeous day.
I had to have a taste of the pizza again – from a plate not a takeaway box, and it did not disappoint. For lunch, there is only a limited specials menu, and I selected the salamari, olive and chilli pizza ($15). Just enough for one person – the base was as crispy as I remembered – not merely the vessel for a mountain of topping, but as much as star as the toppings itself – which complemented it, not over powered it, the real way it’s meant to be done. None of the processed plastic cheese either – real slices of mozarella melted into the fresh tomato base, and scattered with just enough salty salamari and torn olives. The review on Sydney Morning Herald recommended the calamari fritti ($16) which my friend ordered – and I reluctantly swapped a slice of my pizza to try. It wasn’t the oily greasy rubber bands that I expected (who am I to disagree with Simon Thomsen!)- but the flash fried, and ever so slightly battered rings were much lighter than most versions, and served with chips and salad.
It certainly is a demonstration of a chef’s humility when they open a lower priced offshoot and make their top cuisine affordable for all. Think Becasse and Plan B (with its $10 Wagyu burger and $2 lemon tarts); Fifteen Restaurant and Canteen, and in Leura: Solitary Restaurant and Kiosk. Whilst the restaurant offers 5 courses for $95, a mere $10 will get you a hearty gourment brunch or lunch in its kiosk located on the same premises, same sweeping views over the blue mountains. A charming weatherboard hut perched atop a ledge midway between Katoomba and Leura, set in a garden filled with blooms. I started off with a tangy, tart and perfectly sweet home made lemonade ($3.50). 
The lemon zest added even greater depth of flavour; and the sourness of the lemon was balanced with the sweetness of the sugar syrup. Equally delicious was the coke spider (my first taste can you believe it!). Our group was pretty evenly split between the steak sandwich, caponata salad and chicken sandwich. So you would have thought that the kitch would find it easy to fill the order for 8. Sadly I think they weren’t accustomed to the influx of Sydney siders for APEC long weekend holiday, so the food took forever to come – I felt sorry for the couple that came after us! But lucky there is the view, and well when you go to the country you’re not in much of a rush anyway! The open steak sandwich ($15.50) was a good sized minute steak cooked medium well, served between two delicious thick slices of wood fired bread – the crumb dense enough to hold in the home made tomato relish, sweet delicious caramelised onion, lettuce, and grilled tomato. The caponata salad ($15.50) captivated us when we saw another patron (we assumed regular) order it. A warm salad piled on top of the same bread (which I am so glad is not sourdough) – comprising diced zucchini, eggplant, tomato, onion, celery, pinenuts and olive oil – hearty vegetarian feast that created added interest through the listing of dark chocolate on the menu!
