Pizza Farro & Stokers Coffee Lounge

608 High St, Thornbury VIC 3071
Italian, Pizza

We were on the other side of town on Saturday visiting one of RT's friends who had just had twins. I think RT worked up quite an appetite playing with the babies, because when dinner time rolled around, we were ready for a good feed. We asked RT's friend for some recommendations and it was a toss up between Pizza Farro and 400 Gradi. Pizza Farro won, because unfortunately we couldn't get a last minute res at the latter... thankfully we weren't disappointed.

One feature you'll notice upon entering the restaurant is the hundreds of rolling pins hanging off the ceiling. A nice quirky bit of decorating. We were seated at a cosy two seater in the corner near the kitchen, where we could watch the pizzas being prepared and cooked in the wood fire oven.

An important point to note regarding Pizza Farro's menu is that they specialise in Spelt and Gluten Free options for their pizza bases and pastas. Spelt by the way, is just another form of grain and apparently is a healthier alternative to wheat.

Okay let's talk about the food. Being a pizzeria first and foremost, the pizza menu is extensive. However you're not going to find your Hawaiian or Meat lovers here. We got the Mela Bianca, which consisted of pancetta, gorgonzola piccante D.O.P, walnuts and baked green apple glazed in honey and garlic. I really enjoyed the combination of toppings. Sweet, salty and tangy. The gorgonzola added a welcome creaminess and the walnut a nice crunchy texture.

We also ordered a pasta dish - Spaghetti di Marre, which had scallops, tiger prawns & mussels cooked with S. Marzano D.O.P, tomatoes, garlic and finished with lemon. The texture of the pasta sure is different because of the spelt. Different, but okay. Not the silky texture one is use to, but we still managed to clear the plate :)




Stokers Coffee Lounge
1033 Heidelberg Rd, Ivanhoe VIC 3079
Desserts/Ice Cream, Coffee

After dinner we stopped by Stokers Coffee Lounge in Ivanhoe for dessert. It's a strange lil place in my opinion, a very run down brick shop front and shabby wooden tables and benches inside. They also have a wood burning fireplace smack bang in the middle of the room which is pretty cool.



RT an I shared a serving of the Banana Rum pancakes with walnuts and vanilla ice cream, and a pot of chamomile tea. The crepes were delicate and soft, however we weren't fans of the rum bananas, which had a strange aftertaste. Another thing I should note is, when they refer to pancakes, they actually mean crepes. I know, people may have different terms for different things, but jus sayin'... IMO these were crepes.

The Ivanhoe venue is actually closing down in June, but they have another place in South Melbourne if you're interested to try it out.

Stokers Specialty Coffee, South Melbourne
231 Clarendon St