Hands up who thinks pizza and beer is a winning combination. For those who agree then there’s a new restaurant to add to your bucket list, a clever dual-concept pairing of Fratelli Famous and The Bavarian at World Square from the rapidly expanding Urban Purveyor Group. The restaurant features a communal bar, shared indoor and outdoor seating and separate kitchens producing pizzas – with a DIY focus – and assorted German finery.
Fratelli Famous – the casual sister restaurant to Fratelli Fresh – have three different pizza bases available. There is a light and crispy sourdough where the dough is fermented with a starter culture. There is also the Napolitana, a classic dough that yields a thin and crispy base. The kitchen offers an eight-inch gluten free variety (the other bases are available in eight and 12 inch sizes) that has gluten-free flour in place of semolina flour.
There is a real technique to working and stretching the dough. The pizza side of the restaurant has nine classic savoury pizzas on sale (each $14) as well as breakfast and dessert varieties. As with the other Fratelli Famous which now fits in nicely at Westfield Sydney, you can create your own pizza here. According to William the key to a great topping is to find the right balance of flavours.
Once you have selected your base it’s time to choose a sauce. There are four different kinds to choose from including a green pine nut pesto and a white one made up predominantly of fior di latte cheese. There are also two red varieties made of San Marzano tomatoes and one of these has been cooked with Italian meatballs for a heartier, full-bodied flavour. The next step is to select your cheese from a range including feta and vegan cheese as well as an array of Italian ones (gorgonzola, fior de latte mozzarella, fontina, scamorza and parmesan.)
There is a range of seasonings available including oregano, chilli flakes, fennel seeds and salts. The proteins feature various Italian cured meats (pancetta, salami and nduja) as well as chorizo, ham and lemon-roasted chicken. To balance out the meats there vegetable, fruit and nut toppings including broccolini, mushroom, olives, eggplant and pine nuts. The pizza is cooked for 90 seconds and can then be dressed with chilli oil, hot buffalo or sweet barbeque sauce. Fratelli Famous also allow people to create their own salads and they have a number of different ingredients available.
The Bavarian is the sister restaurant to the Bavarian Bier Café, a fast causal spin-off that over on the German side of the restaurant has 17 beers on tap and plenty more for sale in bottles. This is the place where there is a beer for everyone with casual drinkers typically favouring the sweeter, malty varieties, while your beer aficionados go for ones with hops flavours and astringent tastes. Urban Purveyor Group also own the Urban Brewing Co. where they create 11 exclusive craft beers.
The Bavarian stable of restaurants are famous for their steins so it’s important that the beers don’t contain too much carbon dioxide otherwise they would create some slight abdominal discomfort in the drinker. The bartenders are very knowledgeable and can suggest food pairings to accompany the beers and signatures across schnitzels, burgers, sausages and pork dishes.
Some of the beers available range from the subtle and sweet Italian style lager, Bella Birra all the way up to the bitter and hoppy, Devil’s Daughter Indian Pale Ale (IPA). The Bavarian has recently launched a seasonal, summer brew called Sweet Caroline, which would make Neil Diamond proud because she’s a very refreshing and drinkable drop. Sweet Caroline also has a slight astringency which lends the beer a fine, moorish quality. One of the few dark lagers to be found in Australia is the Hofbräu Dunkel, which boasts a sweet quality reminiscent of caramel. It’s a stark contrast to the spicy Butcher’s Bride Pale Ale with its grassy notes and dry finish. The group’s house lager, The Munich is a great one to end a night on and it’s a smooth and refreshing drink.
The Bavarian have a beer passport promotion running until 31st December this year: if you sample eight of their beers across multiple settings and get your passport stamped you receive a limited edition t-shirt and go in the running to win a private beer and pizza party for up to 20 people.
The partnership between Fratelli Famous and The Bavarian is an unexpected match – it’s not everyday you see a restaurant split into Italian and German – but it works incredibly well for the area. This dual-concept store in Sydney looks poised to be a big hit, and those out west can be rest assured they’ll be getting one soon enough in Penrith.
Fratelli Famous & The Bavarian World Square
Address: 644 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Hours: Monday – Friday: 7.30am – 10.00pm; Saturday: 9.00am – 10.00pm; Sunday: 10.00am – 10.00pm
Website: http://www.fratellifamous.com.au/ and http://www.thebavarian.com.au/world-square/
Contact: 02 9259 5680
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