In the mood for pizza but better than the mass-produced, indigestion-inducing things from some of the bigger names, and lately the attitude from the staff at Bubba's has put me off, and I have to pay my mortgage this month so Gio's was not on the radar. Googled "pizza mount barker" and up pops this very shmicko looking website, promising all sorts of culinary delights.
And that was about it. The prices certainly seemed to suggest this place was obviously taking the world by storm (almost $20 for a Hawaiian!) so I figured we'd give it a shot.
I have to say, the pics on the website are of some truly amazing looking pizzas, but I was pretty disappointed with what came in the box. Pretty much the same as Bubba's, but twice the price. Very salty as well, and in all honesty, nothing special to write home (or to Yelp) about. The folks in there look nice and friendly, but when i'm paying $20 for a pizza, I want my taste buds to be assaulted with a sensation that makes them think that for the past 40 odd years they've been held hostage in some dungeon devoid of spices and all things flavoursome.
Come to think of it, I found a pizza place in the Myer Centre food court (that mecca of artisan produce - sarcasm entirely intended) that does a slab of pizza with enough toppings to make you pull a muscle carrying it back to your table. It came with a delightful crispness to the bottom of the deep base that kept you going back just to experience the texture of it as you bit through it. It cost $3 a slice. And it's now making my mouth water. That's the power you want your pizza to have - where the memory alone is enough to make you drool. Unfortunately, that's not what happened with The Oven.
Summary - funky website, flashy graphics, prices that will make you weep, but not in a good way. Not that it's bad pizza, but I don't think it's as good as you are hoping it will be. read more