I Carusi II
231 Barkley Street
St Kilda Victoria Australia 3182
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www.icarusiii.com.au
t +61 03 9593 6033 bookings and take–away
open 7 days from 6pm
FOOD This is pizza plain, simple and good. Tables are jammed together in a small room, closer than any European restaurateur would dare. Get the picture? If you behind is oversize it’s not for you. The room has little embellishment, glasses are thick tumblers, service is slick and food is fast; yes you’re not meant to stay all night. In fact, this food is so cheap you have the responsibility to eat and move on, which is why I Carusi II is a local’s local. For just $49 we (two people) shared focaccia (actually schiacciata) with garlic rosemary and sea salt $5 and cured meats salami, prosciutto, pancetta extra $5 and a pizza caprese $16 and a bottle of 07 Valpolicella. The schiacciata was crisp on both sides, salty and soft-centered with just the right amount of rosemary to make it tasty not medicinal. In true Italian tradition the edges of the pizza are just bread, but the center is wafer thin, crisp, a smear of pizza sauce, five slices of perfect tomato, four slices of salami and eight basil leaves. Most people seemed to leave the edges, but that centre, so fabulous, was fought over to the last crumb.
Keep I Carusi II in context, its cheap, fast, easy and good. Their web site still says cash only but they now accept all major cards. When you leave turn left onto Ackland Street and you might just find a poetry reading at Hotpot, which we are told is not a bad place for a good fresh cheap lunch, followed by a stroll along the esplanade. It has to be said Hot Pot is very quirky, the type of place we just love so we'll be having a look next time we are in Melbourne.
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ST KILDA if you want to do posh, in St Kilda, get the view, the brilliant food of Anthony Musarra and a fab wine list, it doesn’t come better than The Stokehouse
read their full review
Lunch at weekends can be annoying with too many badly behaved brats (of the small human kind).
