Bella Brutta

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I have heard so much about Bella Brutta's clam pizzas that they quickly shot to the top of my list of must-try casual diners in Sydney. Occupying a prime spot in the most bustling part of Newtown, the first thing you notice when you step inside Bella Brutta is a smell of burning - but don't worry, what you are really smelling is their highly impressive, wood-fired pizza oven, signalling that the pizza is definitely going to be good.

Cucumber, melon
But first, starters. Knowing the heavy, oily goodness that will soon come, we opt to get our vegies in first. The starter menu rotates regularly, dictated by seasonality. The cucumber and melon salad is simple, but the crunchy, sweet freshness is just what I'm after.

Cheese and courgette flower
I have a confession to make. I really didn't like this dish - and I rarely say such a thing! It is little dough-balls filled with runny cheese (I want to say burrata), topped with delicate courgette flower. The problem with this dish is if it is piping hot, you would burn your mouth; but the minute it cools down the little balls turn strangely "raw-tasting" - in the sense that you can't help but wonder whether it is the cheese you are tasting or that the dough-casing is undercooked. I doubt it actually was undercooked, i just thought it a pairing that didn't particular work for me. Each to their own.

Cabbage in garlic butter
Now this deceptively simple dish is wonderful. Buttery cabbage drenched in actual, garlicky butter. It is smooth and oh-so-satisfying.

Clam pizza
Ah, the long-awaited, much-tooted clam pizza. I have never had clam on a pizza before - and it absolutely lives up to the hype. First, can we just talk about the pizza base? That woodfire oven wasn't joking. It is a seriously beautiful, chewy base. It really is a work of art! The topping is, again, wonderfully garlicky. The clams are very small, but who cares? The flavour is big.

Score: 4/5 
Cost: approx $40pp 
Address: 135 King St, Newtown
Website: http://www.bellabrutta.com.au/

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