Free pizza?
No, I’m not one to be doing challenges because, let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be a fair thing for the venues 😂
But I had to try the famous ‘New York style’ Shawcross pizza, that also have the biggest gourmet pizza in Melbourne, where slices are so big that the whole pizza is equivalent to a hummer wheel (or four large pizzas)!
Guys, trust me that thing is pretty big. Too big. Waaaaaay too big 😂
But guess what? If you finish that challenge and eat it all under 11 minutes, you get it for free! (Plus you get a cute tee to show to your buddies and glow over your moment of glory 😂).
How much is 22 inches? 🧐 well... it’s:
🛌 about three-tenths as long as a full size bed or as tall as Michael Jordan!
🎳 about one-and-a-half times as tall as a bowling pin!
🤖 about half as tall as Kenny Baker, the actor for R2-D2 in Star Wars!
🎏only about 0.00000007 times as long as The Great Wall of China
🏔 and about one-fifteen-thousandth as tall as Mount Everest!
We arrived at the venue around dinner time and the place didn’t have many people... yet. Locals sure know their way into what I’d good and since the moment we arrived until we left there were a lot of people coming in to dine in, and a lot (seriously, a lot!) of takeaway and deliveries ready to go.
The place i visited is located at the heart of Fitzroy and they do have other locations, but I honestly don’t think that after visiting, I would picture this place at a more cliche location to transmit those New York vibes! From the outside, quite rustic and brick looking, to the inside screaming Brooklyn vibes featuring huge billboards, catchy signs and impressive designs, it’s impossible not to feel at ease with the vibe and fall in love with the place. It has such a chilled yet charismatic environment that it sets up a huge potencial for an amazing experience. The decoration is also very old school and the tables are of a dark brown wood and chairs of a baby blue metal that gives that vintage look 👌👏 absolutely loved it and for someone that notices these little things, I definitely appreciate the attention to detail. The only thing that it was missing was possible one of those vintage Mercedes inside the store to be even more extra 😂😂😂
We were very well welcomed and the number one thing you will notice when you get to the counter is the massive mad dive size of the 22’ pizza. Not only do they have on display 6 of those for people to choose by the slice (in a true New York spirit!) but they also have a drawing on the chalk wall with the sizes of a 12’ (a normal large) and a 22’ (as it says, and I have to agree: holy sh**). I was definitely not aware of and not being realistic when I tried to picture the 22’ size because it was faaaaaar bigger than what I expected. Being a big eater I do think think I would still be able to eat it all, although definitely not in the time given 😂 but it would be a great challenge for sure! But it sure is a BIG one and I humbly think I made the right call with going with 2 12’ and a few desserts to share because I wanted to try a few other things.
I had seen their menu previously and a was impressive with the options they had and how vegan friendly they were! Even chatting with the owner, obviously in such a popular vegan area, they certainly had to have those options. And I think they are sure doing a service to this world by proving such great quality vegan pizzas and possibly one of the best I’ve ever tried. This surpasses most of the pizzas in my top list and I would even dare to say that this is definitely my number one favourite now!
They also have the good ol’ classics and many options for the meat lovers and after staring and drooling at the displayed ones and getting some advice about which ones to have from the manager, here’s the ones we had:
- Vegan PumpPea Off-Menu Special - any pizza that they make can be made with vegan cheese and they they had such amazing vegan options that I literally wanted to try them all! They even have a pizza with hummus! What?! 😍 seriously these guys use possibly one of the best vegan cheese I’ve tried and I have no idea how they manage to get it moist, gooey and decadent, with an incredible and impressive taste. Besides the usual menu they have special items that come occasionally and on that day they had one that was suggested by the manager and after looking at it from the ones displayed I just couldn’t resist 😍😍😍 with a vegan cheese base, laid on THE BEST crust I’ve tried, this is the true definition of heaven 👏 the base was soft on the inside and still with that enjoy and characteristic crunch to it and trust me when I say that you NEED TO try this and have this in your life. Definitely stands out from all other pizzas I’ve tried and it certainly wins in every aspect of size, flavour and taste and consistency/texture. It comes with some spinach, delicious little green peas, roast pumpkin (that WOW WOW WOW 👏), some olives (that by themselves I am not a fan but I sure have to say that I absolutely love having them in pizzas or paired with the right ingredients as it enhances the the flavours and gives a cheeky touch to it 👌) some mushrooms that I absolutely loved and grilled/oven roasted onions that were immensely appreciated! One thing I must highlight is the tomato and how they display it - instead of cutting slices of a normal size tomato, they use cherry tomatoes and only cut them in half making it not only look so much more appetising but gives an actual element of fun to it figuratively and literally and you’ll be finding yourself fighting for that tomato balance so 😂 I would not change anything about this pizza, not even less olives!, and I absolutely recommend!
- Notorious P.I.G. - my friend, who is a true meat lover opted for a meat pizza. They have almost 15 pizzas alone meat based and the only thing you’ll struggle is to choose just one 😂 that’s why I also think it’s a very good idea of them to have some of the 22’ displayed so that people can try a few slices! This one came with BBQ sauce, many pieces of pork sausage, generous slices of bacon, some red onion and jalapenos. It looked a bit shinny, but I wouldn’t say oily because that was clearly from the ingredients used and the cheese. Size was again a 12’’ and my friend also managed to eat it without problems (even though he usually can’t finish some meals 😂!) as he absolutely loved it! What it good, is indeed good 😍
- Sticky Icky Icky - to finish up our meal we decided to pick a dessert for each and my friend went for the nutella calzone! Not only did it come beautifully presented, folded in half and with some chocolate and strawberry sauce on top, but the actual inside is somewhat of an explosion of Nutella 😍🤭 I am actually not really sure how they would create such a thing but I would assume that it is hard to put so much chocolate sauce inside 😂 so they definitely deserve an applause! The size is not only glorious but the double cream, glazed cherry and icing sugar it comes with pais very nicely according to the feedback my friend gave 👌👏 he found it something that not even your dreams can picture and undoubtedly recommend not visiting without asking for one of these! I personally, because of being lactose intolerant, opted for a very much appreciated... 👇
Pat n Sticks Vanilla Chocolate Chip Icecream Cookie - I absolutely love Pat n Sticks and I have personally worked with them in the past, creating content for them 📸 so of course that I couldn’t leave the venue without having my little treat too. It’s actually that I have to highlight and give an applause because not all venues would make the effort that these guys make to make sure all dietary requirements and food ethical choices are ticked 👏 they want to make sure that in every item and sub-item of the menu, the costumers can have options where they feel comfortable and not just limited by one option, but actually feel at ease to choose from a couple of different items 👏
They also have some very interesting entrees that you can usually find in most pizza stores, but again with a twist and special New York touch. I am definitely very keen to try some of those, specialty their garlic and herb pizza! 😍 and on a final note the beverages they have are also quite interesting and meticulously chosen! They have the usual beers and also some cider options, including vegan ones too! They certainly let want to please everyone and I absolutely know I need to visit again to try their other vegan and allergen friendly pizzas (yes, any pizza can be made with that INSANE vegan cheese! 🤭)
Put this place on your top list because they sure are worth visiting 👏😍 and you might even see me there in my next visit! 👏 what an amazing place!
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