The Way to San Jose: 135 McKinnon Road, McKinnon, 9578 6550
My score: 3.5/5
Real estate agents in McKinnon have been able to spruik the latte lifestyle for a while now and they’ve had no trouble raving about the suburb’s schools. They must be so happy that they can now add ‘stylish local restaurant’ to their spiel, thanks to The Way to San Jose, a pizza parlour with neat, petite food and wine menus. The restaurant comprises a front room with a lovely broad bar and dining tables, and a snug rear room by the kitchen with carpet, an artisan produce display and close-set tables. I imagine it would feel quite cruisy if McKinnon wasn’t in such a state of breathless excitement about the restaurant’s mere existence.
The pizza was very good, with a thin, chewy base that was thin but not so featherweight that the whole thing collapsed. Our salumi pizza had a well-judged scattering of pork sausage mince, thick slices of salami and pancetta so thinly shaved that the fat turned into a melting and translucent veil. It was a paean to the pig and I was all over it. The list of three pastas included a lasagne with gorgeous, supple pasta sheets. It was heavy on the bèchamel and light on the meat, a style that I’m sure is supported by nonnas aplenty but the ratio was a little skewed for me.
One look at the smart list of nibbles and you want to be sitting at that bar with a glass of Euro wine. Green olives stuffed with goat’s cheese, crumbed and fried are as good as they sound. I was less enamoured of the tight, dry cod croquettes, and liked the sound of the duck breast on (not very) crisp polenta more than the reality. I suspect the grilled pancetta-wrapped prawns would be just as tasty as they read.
The Way to San Jose is owned by locals Orio Randi and Emma Clarke. Randi is a designer which explains why even the (outdoor) toilets here are delightful. You may have seen his handiwork at Vue de Monde, Izakaya Den and Josie Bones, among others. Manager Scott Rigg knows a thing or two about a thing or two and he’s striving gamely to bring his service team up to speed. I’ll engage in no such equivocation about the chocolate and pear torte with its shortcrust pastry shell and perfectly moist, giving fruit. It’s so good I bet it gets a mention at McKinnon auctions today.
See their website.
More pizza:
Ladro, 162 Greville Street, Prahran, 9510 2233
Ladro serves wood-fired pizza on both sides of the river plus a roast of the day and an earlybird junior menu for $12.50. Ask about kids’ pizza-making classes too.
Supermaxi, 305 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North, 9482 2828
Rita Macali’s buzzing pizza joint has a large central bar where it’s fun to perch solo with a wine and a napoletana with capers, chilli and anchovies.
Baby Pizza, 631-633 Church Street, Richmond, 9421 4599
The old Pearl site has re-opened as a trattoria. With grilled and fried pizzas and a huge roster of salads, this Chris Lucas joint is sure to be as hot as its ovens.
First published in The Age, September 23, 2012
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