Motorino, 29A Vernon Street, South Kingsville. Phone: 9399 2121
Motorino has been around for years but we’ve never until now been through its doors.
Not sure why.
Certainly, it’s been in the mix many, many times as we’ve pondered our options – but we’ve chosen to go elsewhere.
A recent, indolent incident of home delivery pizzas quickened our interest – our couple of simple, vegetarian pizzas were simply the best to-our-door food we’ve ever invested in.
On time, hot, delicious.
So here we are, trying our luck without a booking on a Friday night.
No problem – we snag a table for two and take in our surroundings.
Having peered through the windows so often, it seems I’ve bred the impression that Motorino is somehow a sleek, trendy sort of place.
So I am bemused to discover that from an insider’s point of view that it’s not like that at all – it’s just like any popular Italian eatery in Melbourne.
It could be in Carlton or Brunswick.
Gee, that sounds like I’m damning with faint praise – and that’s not my intention.
Mororino IS kinda cool and classy and the cooking aromas are intoxicating.
But it’s all a hubbub on this Friday night, with family groups galore and kids everywhere.
The staff are obliging, smiling and efficient.
We settle in for a slightly longer duration than planned but enjoy the hell out of our Motorino stay.
And why wouldn’t we when we have a pizza, a pasta, a dessert pizza and two hot drinks and pay a most admirable $56?
Pizza funghi ($17.50) with caramelised onions, ricotta, olive oil and mozzarella is good though we find it a little austere and plain.
We unambiguously cast envying eyes at the specials-board marinated lamb number being consumed at a neighbouring table.
Fusilli Tuscan of Tuscan sausage, caramelised onions, garlic, tomato sugo and parmesan ($19.50) we think is utterly brilliant.
I make a version of this at home but no way have I ever attained the sort of succulent, tasty, sticky and rich heights this plate does.
Wonderful!
Having such a swell time are we that ordering a dessert pizza is a no-brainer.
Bennie’s outside talking on his phone – so I make the call: Raspberry and lemon curd pizza with double cream ($12).
As you’d expect, it’s on the tartish side – but that’s fine by us.
It lasts, maybe, about three minutes and is sluiced down by a just-right cafe latte ($3.50) and hot chocolate ($$3.50).
During the course of the evening, we’ve seen very many delivery drivers come and go.
I’m told that a typical Friday night will see about 80 deliveries made involving about eight or nine drivers.
Man, that’s some serious pizza moving business.
As we recently discovered for ourselves, there’s very delicious reasons for that.
But based on tonight’s meal, we reckon we should make the effort for an in-house visit much more often.
consider the sauce 
Maybe I don’t visit places like this anymore but it sorta sounds a bit expensive. Or am I out of touch?
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Hiya Pablo! Depends on context and perspective, I guess. We paid under $20 for both our mains. It was a bit more than you’d pay at an Aussie-style pizza joint but less than you’d pay in a high-falutin’ Italian place. IMO, two mains, a dessert pizza and two hot drinks coming at $28 each is quite good value for good food of this kind.
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Normally when a pizza joint has been around this long (7-8 years??) they have changed hands a couple of times and lost their way, but Motorino has always maintained a high standard. Highly recommend, and as you note, pretty good value.
They also give the littlies their own base to shape for the dessert pizzas, which is good fun.
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This was a fantastic place to dine in at or order takeaway, however this is the second time in a few months that we have eaten here and I must say the pizza’s are only half as good as they used to be. The base is still fairly thin, but dough like and tasteless. The ingredients on top are all flattened and melded amongst cheese. The pizzas are just OK to be considered ‘gourmet’, but such a far cry from what they used to be. Where has the original owner gone??
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